Harry Potter and the Rewritten Biography
by Silalcarin
Summary: AU. Someone from the future visits Ginny Weasley one day before her ninth birthday. The Visitor gives Ginny seven books to read, and leaves her with a plea to change the future. After reading all seven books, a determined Ginny sets out to do as she was asked. She recruits four people to help her accomplish that goal. Will they succeed?
1. The Visitor

**Chapter 1: The Visitor**

 **10th August 1990**

 _I can't believe it. I did it. I really did it! I've travelled one hundred years into the past!_

The eighty-four-year-old Visitor stood in the overgrown garden and looked out at the house in front of her _. Merlin, the Burrow was a lot smaller back then,_ she thought. _Perhaps it's because Granddad and Grandmum don't have grandchildren yet. They must have kept building upward and adding more rooms to the house after everyone got married and had children of their own._

The Visitor then noticed that no one came rushing out of the Burrow to check the wards. _Hmm... I didn't set off the alarms after all,_ she thought. _Mum was right. Granddad and Uncle Bill didn't set up the Fidelius Charm or any of the other wards until a year after Dumbledore was murdered._

The Visitor scanned the orchard for the person she was looking for. _She's got to be out here,_ she thought. _I just know it. This is her favourite place after all_.

The Visitor stopped and wondered why there seemed to be no life around the house. She checked her watch. _It's an hour before noon. And it's one day before her birthday. That means that Granddad is at the Ministry, Grandmum is in the village shopping with Uncles Charlie and Percy, Uncle Bill is in Egypt, and the other three blokes are still asleep. Merlin, can Mum pick the perfect time or what?_

After a minute of searching, the Visitor finally found who she was looking for. _Ah, there she is!_ The Visitor thought. The Visitor then became nervous. _Merlin, I hope this'll work. It'll be a complete failure of a visit if she doesn't want to do this._

The Visitor walked through the overgrown garden towards a tall tree in the orchard. The tree was occupied by a small girl, who was hanging upside down from one of the tree's branches and had her eyes closed. Her long mane of flaming red hair was hanging downward freely. Her hair had always been the girl's most notable feature, and it looked extra fiery with the sun shining down on it.

 _That's definitely her. No one else in the family has that exact hair colour, not even Lily_ , the Visitor thought, smiling sadly. _Has it really been three years since she passed away?_ She shook her head vigorously. _Get a hold of yourself. She may run to the three blokes inside if you're not careful_.

The Visitor pulled out her wand and nonverbally cast _Homenum Revelio_ at the Burrow to ensure that Scabbers was inside. After confirming that the rat was still in Percy's locked bedroom, and ignoring the increased beating of her heart as she saw her father's body-marker on the fifth floor, the Visitor turned back towards the tree and nonverbally cast _Cave Inimicum_ , _Muffliato_ , _Protego Horribilis_ , _Protego Totalum_ , and _Salvio Hexia_ around it. She thought that using all of those spells was unnecessary, and that the Muffliato Charm was sufficient, but her mum, the brightest witch of her age, had insisted.

These actions caused the small girl in the tree to open her eyes abruptly. She sat upright on her branch and looked down at the Visitor, a mixture of fear and curiosity shining in her bright brown eyes.

"Hello, Ginny," said the Visitor, smiling again.

"Hello... Who are you?" the girl asked cautiously. She climbed down the tree and walked up to the Visitor. "How do you know my name?" She took a closer look at the Visitor. "And why do you have Ron's hair colour? And his blue eyes? Are you a relative of mine I haven't heard of? Surely Great-Auntie Muriel would've let us know, the gossip-loving hen." Her eyes began to shine with delight. "Are you here for my birthday? I'm turning nine tomorrow! You have to be a distant relative of mine if you remembered and Fred and George claimed to have forgotten."

The Visitor's smile grew wider. _She really isn't much different from when she'll get older_ , she thought amusedly. "I am a relative of yours. I'm here to give you your birthday present, as I can't stay for your actual birthday tomorrow."

Ginny smiled at the idea of getting a present a day early. The Visitor reached into her small, purple, beaded handbag that had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, and she pulled out seven books. She held out the books and said, "Happy early birthday, Ginny."

Ginny tentatively took the books from the Visitor's hands. They proved to be a little heavy for the eight-year-old, so she blindly set the books down on the ground. She did not notice the title of the first book that laid on top of the others.

Fearing that the girl may disregard the books, the Visitor conjured up two armchairs and motioned for Ginny to sit in one. The Visitor sat in the other armchair and, once they were comfortable, she began to divulge the truth behind her visit.

"Ginny, there are some things that you need to know about me and those books before you read them. I need you to trust me before I can tell you anything, though."

Ginny blanched. "W-what? W-why are you—?"

"Would you say that growing up with Gred and Forge helped you believe that anything's possible if you've got enough nerve?" The Visitor asked, getting straight to the point.

Ginny was shocked. _How did this old woman know that?_ She looked at the woman very intently, and then looked away. _There's something peculiar about this woman. It feels like... like I know her. Like I have this connection with her that's a lot closer than a distant relative. But... how is that possible?_

Ginny regarded the old woman again. _Well... there's only one way to find out._

The small girl firmly set her jaw, nodded, and said, "Yes, I would say that."

The Visitor smiled. "Thank Merlin. There are a few rules that I am giving you in regards to the books. First, you cannot tell anyone in your family who gave you these books."

"All right," Ginny allowed. "But, if no one else can know who you are, then why can't I? I'd like to know the name of the person who gave me my present. That way, if anyone asks me about these books, I can say that a friend from the village gave them to me and I'll use your name."

"That could work," said the Visitor thoughtfully. "All right then." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I came from exactly one hundred years in the future. I'm your future niece, Rose"— _Don't state your full name!_ —"Rose Weasley."

Ginny gaped at the old woman. She remained silent for a good seven minutes while the Visitor—Rose—waited patiently.

"Er," Ginny finally said quietly, "who are your parents? If you really are my niece, then you're the daughter of either Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, or Ron."

Ginny then remembered something she caught earlier. "Wait... you have Ron's blue eyes. You have some white hairs, but you mostly have Ron's hair colour as well..." Ginny's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her. "You're Ron's daughter! From the year 2090!"

Rose laughed. "Yes, I am." Her smile faded away as she remembered her late father, who passed away a year after her Uncle Harry.

 _Dad couldn't handle knowing that he'd never see or talk to his best mate ever again_ , thought Rose _. If anything, he took Uncle Harry's passing harder than Mum did, and Mum was much more emotional than Dad. Mum was completely miserable after Dad passed away, just a year after Uncle Harry passed on... After having lost her two oldest friends and favourite sister-in-law... Merlin, I miss them all so much_.

"What's wrong?" Ginny inquired softly. "You became sad all of a sudden. Is... Is Ron... dead?"

"Yes... he is. Don't worry," Rose added quickly when she saw her future aunt's troubled expression. "He lived a long life. One hundred and nine years' worth, in fact. He passed away last year in my time."

Knowing that her brother passed on naturally instead of in battle had calmed Ginny down. She didn't know what she'd do if any of her relatives were killed in action.

"Well," Ginny said casually, "Now I understand why I can't tell anyone who you are. Especially Ron; he'd never believe that his eighty-year-old daughter from the future came to talk to me."

"Eighty-four," Rose corrected. "But, that is exactly right. That is why you cannot involve him in what I'm about to ask of you."

Ginny's interest was piqued. "Oh? What do you want me to do?"

"My second set of instructions is that you must read the books chronologically and all the way through," said Rose. "Don't skip any chapters, and don't speed-read or anything like that. It's more my mum's instructions than my own. She always used to tell me, 'Where's the fun in reading the ending before the beginning?' Wouldn't you agree with that philosophy?"

"I guess," Ginny said slowly, with a hardened expression on her face.

 _I may be eight, but I've known how to read properly since I was three,_ thought a slightly irritated Ginny.

Rose closed her eyes as she realized what she just said. She unintentionally insulted her future aunt's intelligence by telling her how to read a book. _Grandmum told you that Auntie Ginny learned how to read when she was three. Bad form, Rosie. Way to forget,_ thought Rose, mentally kicking herself. _Fix it before she becomes so insulted that she'll change her mind!_

Rose opened her eyes and began carefully, "I know that those instructions are a little tripe, but sometimes, a book or even a chapter can be so long that you want to skip to the end just to know what happens. It's sort of cheating that way. That's why my mum made sure I told you that."

"That makes sense," Ginny responded, her expression softening.

Rose smiled at the now placated girl. "It should take you about a month to read them all, give or take a week, if you read them every day. That shouldn't be too hard to accomplish, since you have another two years before you start school at Hogwarts. So, really, you have all the time in the world to read them. However, the sooner you read them, the better. Then, you can start planning earlier."

That last bit in particular caught Ginny's attention. "Planning? For what?"

"I'll get to that soon," said Rose. "My third set of instructions is that after you finish reading all of the books, I want you to give them to a select few people. Do not give them to Dad or any of your other brothers, Granddad, Grandmum, Great-Great-Auntie Muriel, or Hermione Granger."

Ginny mulled over who that last person could be, but put it in the back of her head for the time being. "All right, so I won't tell anyone in my family about the books. Got it. But then, who should I give them to?"

Rose smiled. "You will know once you read all of the books. Although, I do suggest including your cousins, since they're not mentioned in the books at all. They'll be a good, impartial third-party in your planning."

"Adele and Ethel Prewett?" Ginny asked, surprised. "Uncle Ignatius II's daughters? Why wouldn't they be mentioned in the books?"

"They threatened to sue the Muggle author if they or their parents were mentioned anywhere in the books," Rose said simply. "When that didn't work, they Obliviated the poor woman so that she would forget that she ever wrote about them, let alone met them."

"Wow," said Ginny, astonished. "Well, that sounds like them. They're very private people after all. Ever since my Auntie Camilla died..."

The redheaded woman and girl bowed their heads in remembrance as they took a moment of silence.

"So," Ginny continued, "I'll give the books to Adele and Ethel after I'm done. They may not finish reading them as fast as I will, though, since they'll return to Hogwarts in three weeks."

"True, but they will be able to help you plan everything out when they come home next summer," said Rose. "There's only so much a nine-year-old can do, after all."

"Thanks for reminding me," Ginny groaned. "How many others should I involve with the books?"

"At the very least, two more people. As long as you do not tell Dad or my mum, or any of my uncles, or Granddad or Grandmum, and especially not Great-Great-Auntie Muriel. Believe me, Auntie Ginny, after you finish reading the books, you'll know who to recruit for your plan."

Ginny had to take a moment to process that this eighty-four-year-old woman just called her 'Auntie Ginny.' "I can't believe Ron will get married. I love him very dearly, but he can be a little unbearable at times. Is… was he still like that in the future?"

"Not after he and my mum finally got together," Rose explained. "They had to go through counselling before they tied the knot, though. And for a few years after that, before they had me."

"They had to go through marriage counselling?" Ginny repeated with a gasp.

"Their relationship was... volatile for a long time," Rose admitted. "They had what you often called 'belligerent sexual tension.' They fought endlessly, even though they had been in love with each other since they were about twelve. After they went through the marriage counselling, and after they had me and Hugo, their banter was more playful and less frequent."

"I have a nephew too?" Ginny asked excitedly.

Rose chuckled. "Oh yes. You had five other nieces besides me, and two other nephews besides Hugo."

"Wow," said an elated Ginny. "Wait, why didn't Hugo come with you?" she asked. "He's... he's not dead too, is he?"

"No, he's alive. He... hasn't taken our parents' deaths too well, which is natural. When he's stressed, he prefers to handle it by eating, or playing Quidditch or Chess, or immersing himself in his family. Whereas I take more after my mum and throw myself into my books," Rose explained, smiling sadly at the memory of her recently deceased mum.

 _It's only been a month, and yet I keep thinking that when I return, she'll be there and praise me for what I've accomplished, much like she and Dad did when I was at Hogwarts. Oh Mum, Dad, how I wish I could see you in this time, when you were much younger. But... you told me not to get you or Dad involved, Mum. You told me to only seek out Auntie Ginny. And I only have this one day. She is my only hope now._ She mentally nodded to herself. _Keep moving forward._

Rose swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat and continued. "Even if Hugo wanted to come, the special Time-Turner I used to come here can only be used by one person at a time. No more than that."

She reached underneath the collar of her shirt and pulled out a necklace that held an hourglass. She showed it to the girl and continued, "This type of Time-Turner, unlike a standard one, is the only way a person can travel back more than just a few hours in time. This hourglass here is really a 'year glass,' which is self-explanatory." Ginny nodded to indicate that she understood what that meant. "Since I helped my mum plan this trip, and since I'm the eldest, I got to use it."

"Ah," Ginny said, unsure of what else to say. Then she thought of someone Rose mentioned earlier. "Your mum... Is she that Hermione Granger person you spoke of?"

Rose chuckled. "You really don't give yourself credit in how quick-witted you are. Yes, that is my mum. You'll find out more about her from the books. Hugo and I actually bore her maiden name along with our dad's, so my full name is actually Rose Granger-Weasley. I didn't know if relaying that would be wise earlier on."

Ginny nodded to indicate that she understood. Then she noticed the sad expression that had been on Rose's face, and hesitantly asked, "When did Hermione...?"

"She passed away just a month ago in my time," Rose explained. "She was a year ahead of you. You'll soon know her as the brightest witch of her year. And eventually, as your good friend and sister-in-law, of course," the woman added airily, in a tone much like the one her mum would use when she was being causal.

A silence fell between them before something suddenly dawned on Ginny.

"I'm dead too, aren't I?" she asked quietly.

Rose gave the girl a shocked look.

"You said that I had loads of nieces and nephews, not have... So that makes me think that... I've already passed on in your time," Ginny said softly.

Rose cast her eyes downward and nodded. "Yes. You passed away three years ago, at the age of one hundred and six." She looked up and looked her future aunt in the eye. "You lived a good life, though. That's more important."

"I suppose," Ginny replied casually. She quickly changed the sombre subject. "Did I ever get married and have children of my own?" The girl was nearly bouncing on the armchair now, and her eyes were dancing with merriment.

 _Damn. I was hoping she wouldn't ask that,_ thought Rose, biting her lip _. Best not to mention her own children. And especially who her husband will be. Not right now, not when she merely fancies 'The Boy Who Lived' and not Uncle Harry himself. She'll find out in the epilogue anyway._

"You did get married, and you did have children," Rose said carefully, "and, before you ask, your husband passed away a year after you did. However, I strongly urge you to read the books to find out everything that happens to you. Please, Auntie Ginny."

Ginny regarded the pleading look on her future niece's face. "Okay. I'll try to be patient and wait."

Rose smiled. "I know it may be a little hard for you, if you're as stubborn as my Auntie Ginny was."

Ginny smiled sheepishly. "I guess I'm not that much different in the future?"

Rose laughed. "Definitely not. But I loved you all the same. And so did your children, and especially your husband."

As another silence fell between them, Ginny retreated to her thoughts. She desperately wanted to know who she married. For the last few years, Ginny had taken a fancy to the hero of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter, who defeated the Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, when he was only a baby. Ever since Ginny first heard about 'The Boy Who Lived,' she had often had that childish dream of meeting and marrying him, a dream shared by many pure-blood and half-blood witches. Only the pure-blood extremist witches didn't dream of him. To Ginny, Harry Potter was some kind of rock god, like all of the members in her favourite band, the Weird Sisters. However, her six older brothers, Percy in particular, often squashed her hopes by pointing out that the chances of her ever meeting Harry, let alone marrying him, were about as likely as their mum duelling with a Death Eater.

"Er, Auntie Ginny?" Rose asked, bringing Ginny out of her thoughts.

"Er, sorry," said Ginny, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair.

 _Oh, Merlin. Uncle Harry was right. When Auntie Ginny blushes, her face glows like the setting sun. Some things never change_ , Rose thought amusedly.

"Anyway," Rose continued, "you may tell Adele, Ethel, and the other people you give the books to about me. But, and I cannot stress this enough, you must be absolutely, one hundred percent positive, that you can trust them with that information, Auntie Ginny. That is why I ask you to read all of the books all the way through before you decide on whom to pick. Once you read the books, I know you'll have a good, clear idea of who you'll trust the most."

Ginny gave the woman a piercing look. _She knows who I trust more than anyone. But she won't tell me,_ she thought, a little miffed.

Then she realized something. _Perhaps... she wants me to completely read all of the books first because... I may ask my future husband to help me with this plan? After all, Mum and Dad often say that they trust each other the most because, not only are they husband and wife, but they are best friends, so my husband would be the person_ _ **I**_ _trust the most,_ thought Ginny logically _. Let's see..._

"All right," Ginny said carefully, "I'll wait until I finish reading the books. And then... I'll recruit my future husband to help me with the plan."

Rose's eyes widened before she relaxed and gave the girl a small smile. "That sounds like the Auntie Ginny I knew. Her husband was the person she trusted the most, after all. Good choice."

"Now I really want to know who he is," Ginny lamented. "But, I promised to wait, and I'm not one to go back on my promises. Call it a stubborn habit, but that's how I am: stubborn to a fault."

 _If only you knew who your husband was. Two peas in a pod, the pair of you were_ , Rose thought sadly as she remembered her deceased aunt and uncle.

 _Uncle Harry was devastated when you passed away, Auntie Ginny,_ thought Rose _. He never thought that you would pass away before he did. He would cry often and say that, even after eighty-five years of marriage, he was always ready to go first. And, despite constantly having Teddy, Victoire and their children and grandchildren, and James, Al, Lily, and their children and grandchildren around following your passing, Uncle Harry was exceptionally lonely without you. Even Mum and Dad couldn't bring him out of his stupor. In fact, Uncle Harry's last words before he embraced Death were, 'I'll see you in a few moments, Ginny,' complete with a serene smile on his face. You were his last thought. It's really no wonder why he passed away not too long after you did_.

"Well," Rose continued aloud, "Now you have a third person to give the books to." She stopped herself and began again, this time cryptically. "At least one more person should do, and you'll know who that person is once you read the third, fifth, and seventh books. Trust me on that."

"All right." Ginny then thought of something. "Why did you come to me and not someone else? I'm aware that you shouldn't tell your mum or Ro- your dad, and your... uncles and grandparents... but, why were you able to tell me? And why did you come now, at this time?"

"I can't tell you without giving anything away," Rose began carefully. "But, I can tell you that Mum estimated that you, Adele, and Ethel will need a year to read the books and plan everything, to ensure that your plan is absolutely fool proof. She also didn't want me to involve certain people because she wanted some events to still happen as they did in my time. Now, those events should not happen for another year. However, if everything goes according to our predictions, then you, Adele, and Ethel will be able to jumpstart your plan after those initial events."

 _Events such as Uncle Harry being discovered by Hagrid next year_ , she thought. _If Uncle Harry is discovered earlier on, that may change too many things in this timeline, possibly for the worst_.

Rose shook her head and turned her thoughts back to the potential plan. _Anyway, Hagrid needs to discover Uncle Harry when he is old enough to attend Hogwarts. That would bring the two of them to Diagon Alley, and it will create a friendship between them. If Adele and Ethel agree to read the books, then they'll be of age when Uncle Harry goes to Diagon Alley for the first time. That means that they'll be able to take Auntie Ginny there, through Side-Along-Apparition, so that she could give the books to Uncle Harry. Mum said that he should still experience everything as he did in my time and the books. He wouldn't be Harry Potter without those experiences. In turn, that could lead to Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny becoming friends earlier on._

Rose knew how manipulative all of that sounded. However, she and her mum discussed this before. They ultimately agreed that they don't care how manipulative Ginny and her companions may become, as long as the Second Wizarding War ended much earlier. As long as there were little to no personal losses during the Second Wizarding War. As long as everyone, at the very least, had better relationships with their significant others, and, possibly, with former snake-like rivals from school as well. As long as one timeline had a better future than hers and Hermione's was, that was all that mattered in the end.

Ginny brought Rose out of her thoughts when she spoke up. "All right, I can handle a bit of responsibility. Even if it'll be much bigger than trying to knit or washing the dishes. Anyway, you've told me who I should pick, or, in some cases, hinted at who I should pick, after I've read all of the books. Still, I'd like to know: other than my family, who else should I not pick?"

Rose bit her lip as she immediately thought of Neville and Luna. _Neville is too shy at this point in time, and he and Auntie Ginny didn't really become friends until they went to the Yule Ball together. Mum said that it'd be best if she, Dad, and Uncle Harry included him into their circle in their first year to help build up his confidence before their fifth year. Of course, this all depends on whether Auntie Ginny does end up giving the books to Uncle Harry, which would lead to Uncle Harry reading Neville's rather subtle transformation throughout the books. Luna... Luna is about to lose her mum soon. Auntie Ginny may not finish reading the books before that happens. Besides, Auntie Ginny didn't become friends with Luna until they met at Hogwarts. And during their first year, Auntie Ginny was possessed, while Luna was dealing with being lonely in Ravenclaw._

Rose then thought of something. _Perhaps... Perhaps I can nudge Auntie Ginny towards Luna, implicitly telling her that after reading the fifth book, she'll understand why I did so. She'll understand that I wanted them to become friends earlier. Then, maybe Luna will be Sorted into Gryffindor with Auntie Ginny, and then they both won't be so lonely their first year._

Rose blinked rapidly. _Merlin, Mum and I_ _were_ _a bit manipulative when it comes to this plan._ She shook her head vigorously. _No. No. This is to help create a better future for this timeline. Mum urged you to never forget that. Don't start doubting anything, not after planning out everything for a year before you made this trip._

"Just... just stick with Adele, Ethel, your future husband, and the fifth person, who is prominent in the third, fifth and seventh books. I really can't reveal anything more without possibly giving away too much information," Rose said apologetically.

"Well... All right," Ginny acquiesced. "I couldn't help but be curious, though."

Rose chuckled. "That's never a bad thing. Don't worry. I guarantee that you won't mess up your plan. Say, Auntie Ginny, do you know the Lovegoods?"

"No. Who are they?" asked Ginny, slightly tilting her head to the right.

 _Damn,_ thought Rose. _I thought at the very least, she'd know who they were, since they live just over the hill from here._

"Once you read the fifth book, you'll understand why I brought them up," Rose said cryptically.

"All right," said Ginny, bemused.

Ginny then remembered the "plan" that Rose had been mentioning frequently throughout her visit. "What is this plan that you want me to undertake? And what did you mean by, 'you wanted some events to still happen as they did in your time'?" she asked.

"Ah, I was just about to get to that. Now, bear with me here." Rose bit her lip before continuing. "Auntie Ginny, I want you to change the future."

Ginny could only stare unblinkingly at the woman sitting opposite of her. "Er, what?"

"Things do end on a happy note, but..." Rose had to check herself as she thought of her late Uncle Fred, and how Uncle George suffered a breakdown every year on first April and second May, up until his own passing five years ago, at the age of one hundred and seven.

Rose closed her eyes and fought to keep her tears from falling before she continued. "As you will see throughout the books, there will be a number of people who do not make it to the epilogue. You've heard of Lord Voldemort, yes?"

Ginny nodded. Rose smiled inwardly at how the small eight-year-old girl didn't flinch at the sound of that bastard's name. "He... He is going to... He will be reborn in nearly five years, and he will take away people you love and trust and who are well alive in this time right now. People who you cherish very much, who you probably will cherish a lot more after you read the books."

Ginny looked at the woman intently for a few long moments, processing what Rose just told her. "That's something else I shouldn't ask you, is it?" she asked seriously.

"I'd much prefer that you didn't. You'll find out through the books anyway," Rose said quietly with downcast eyes. "I hope that, somehow, my parents will have a better relationship as well, before they get together. Then they won't need to go through all of that counselling."

 _And you and Uncle Harry can get together a lot sooner as well, perhaps during the Yule Ball. Assuming he gets his head out of his arse earlier this time_ , thought Rose.

After a maddeningly long silence, Ginny said, "I'll do it."

Rose looked up at her sharply. "What?" she asked.

"I'll do it. Everything," Ginny said determinedly. "I won't tell anyone who you are. I'll simply say that my friend Rose from the village gave me the books as an early birthday present, since she'll be out of town for the rest of the summer. I'll read the books in order and all the way through. I'll recruit Adele, Ethel, and at least two other people to help me change the future, but we'll try to not change some events that happened in the books. We'll make bloody well sure that no one dies this time, and that everyone important to us will have better relationships and everything. I suppose that may sound unrealistic, but I'll be damned if we don't at least try to make a better future."

Rose had to take several moments to process a few things. First, her eight-year-old future aunt just cursed. _There's no way in hell she would ever say something like that at such a young age in front of Grandmum_ , she thought. Second, she couldn't believe how determined her Auntie Ginny was at such a young age. _Then again, she_ _did_ _teach herself how to fly on her brothers' adult-sized broomsticks when she was only six. So this early burst of determination isn't too far-fetched_. Third, she was filled with so much love and affection for her Auntie that she hugged the surprised girl.

"Thank you," Rose whispered with tears in her eyes. "Thank you so, so much, Auntie Ginny." She looked the girl straight in the eyes and held her at arm's length. "I know that you and your companions will succeed. Especially if you choose the ones who are as determined as you are. The ones I'm sure you'll pick."

They stood up, and Rose Banished the armchairs. "Well, it's time for me to go. My mission here is complete."

She started to cancel the privacy wards when she remembered something. "Oh, wait," she said, pulling something else out of her beaded handbag and handing it to Ginny.

"These are supplementary notes, full of information that isn't given in the books," Rose explained. "There are approximately twelve thousand notes within these parchments. And since the parchments are written front and back, these notes are about six thousand pages worth, which is twice as long as all seven books combined."

Ginny gaped at her elderly future niece as she took the notes and blindly set them down on top of the books. She still had not seen the title of the first book. "So I have to read over nine thousand pages in a month?"

 _Where have I heard that phrase before? 'Over nine thousand?' That sounds so familiar,_ thought a bemused Rose. _Wait, that's not important right now._

"No, no! Just read the books. The notes are for afterward, when you actually start planning," Rose explained. "I don't expect you to start that until Adele and Ethel have read the books, unless you really want to get right to it as soon as you finish reading. It's up to you. But, please read the books first. Set the notes aside for now until you finish reading the books, all right?"

"Okay," Ginny said determinedly.

Rose handed her the handbag. "Here, I want you to have this as well," she said. "It was my mum's. It'll hold all of the books and notes, thanks to the Undetectable Extension Charm my mum placed on it, oh, ninety-three years ago in my time. Or, rather, in seven years your time."

"I can't take this!" Ginny exclaimed. "You just said it was your mum's! It's an heirloom to you! I have no right keeping it, even if she will be my sister-in-law!"

"Mum wanted you to have it, Auntie Ginny," Rose said soothingly. "She knew that when you agreed to read the books—yes, she knew you would—you'd need a place to hide them and the notes from your family. This really is the only thing that will keep all of this safe. It can hold more than just books and parchments as well. It can hold... fangs, diaries, rings, lockets, cups, tiaras, even swords," Rose added cryptically, referring to the items that Ginny would find out about after reading the second, sixth, and seventh books.

Ginny remained silent for a few moments before she reluctantly took the handbag. "Okay. I'll take really good care of it, I promise."

Rose smiled. "I know you will. Er, there's one more thing that I need to tell you, before you go back inside The Burrow."

Ginny cocked her head, her curiosity written all over her face.

Rose's face darkened. "Stay away from Scabbers," she said seriously. "I mean it, stay the bloody hell away from that stupid fat rat. Do not let him near the books, do not let him near the handbag, and do not, absolutely do not, let him know your secret. Watch out for him. Read the books out here in the orchard, anywhere where you know Scabbers will not go near you."

Rose then realized something that had not occurred to her before she thought about Scabbers. "In fact, maybe you should hold off on reading the books until Uncles Charlie, Percy, Fred and George return to school, since Uncle Percy will take him along. That way, that damn rat won't be anywhere near you or the books. It's very, very important that you heed my warning, Auntie Ginny."

"All right," said Ginny, puzzled.

Rose picked her next words carefully. "After you finish reading all of the books, don't do anything about Scabbers for another year. I cannot emphasize enough how all of this will make sense after you read the books."

Ginny regarded her future niece, taking in all of the seriousness in her words, and nodded determinedly. "All right," she repeated.

Rose smiled, feeling accomplished, yet saddened at having to leave. She hugged the girl again. "I'll miss you, Auntie Ginny."

"I'll miss you too, Rosie," said Ginny, returning the hug this time. "It'll be hard to look at Ron and Scabbers the same way after you leave. And, I suppose, after I read all of the books and notes."

Rose beamed at her young Auntie for calling her by her nickname. She reluctantly let go of the girl and moved to cancel the privacy wards around the tree.

"Wait!" Ginny piped up. "What'll happen to the books if we do succeed? If we really end up changing the future?"

"They will be erased from this timeline's existence," Rose said simply. "Any of the books that are around in my time will still exist, since my future has already been written. Yours, however, has not. If the Muggle author writes these books in this time, roughly fifty years from now, hopefully they'll be different, much happier, overall better than what you and your companions will read."

"I see," Ginny said slowly. Her eyes widened as another realization dawned on her. "Wait! Is it really okay to change the timeline? You just said that nothing we change in this time will affect your time. So… what's the point of changing anything at all?"

Rose thought about the question, and soon became lost in her thoughts as she remembered the last time her mum ever worked on a project. When Ginny was on her deathbed in the year 2087, her last words were, 'I can't wait to see Fred again,' as she held Harry's hand. After she passed on, Hermione, Ron, and especially Harry became despondent. About a month later, Hermione remembered Ginny's last words, snapped out of her stupor, and threw herself into her research. It wasn't easy at first, as she was still mourning the loss of her favourite sister-in-law. A year later, Harry passed away, and a year after that, Ron passed away, and he too expressed his wish of seeing Fred again. Not too long afterward, Hermione finally found out that Time Travel across several years was possible with a special type of Time-Turner. However, any trips to the past would not be permanent, and any changes that were made in the past would lead to alternate timelines. Regardless, Hermione wanted to ensure that Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, Hedwig, Moody, Dobby, Ted Tonks, Fred, Remus, Tonks, Colin, her former romantic rival Lavender, even Snape, and so many others that died during the Second Wizarding War, would live, even if it could only happen in another timeline.

"It is completely necessary to change this timeline," said Rose, perfectly channelling her mum as she broke away from her thoughts. "My own timeline cannot change from the actions you will take here, but as long as everyone who died throughout the books lives in this time, that's all that matters. And, well, per my wishful thinking, as long as everyone gets together as they do in the final book, but much earlier and without any unnecessary drama."

She then thought about a quote from one of her favourite Muggle movies that inspired both her and her mum whenever they nearly gave up hope in finding a way to travel back through time. _What was that movie called again? Oh right, something about a Terminator. It's going to premiere next summer._

"In fact, Auntie Ginny, screw the continuity. After all, the future is not set. You make your own fate. So, you go and change your future for the better, without reservation," said Rose.

"Don't worry, I will," said Ginny with a deadly serious expression on her face.

 _Merlin, she looked and sounded just like Uncle Harry right there_ , thought an astonished Rose.

Ginny then thought of something and her determination waned a little. "But... wouldn't this whole plan make me and my companions a bit... manipulative? You told me not to involve anyone in my family. Changing the future without their knowing it... It's a bit odd for me. I'll feel like I'm betraying them, even though I'll be doing it to make things better for everyone."

Rose bit her lip. "Mum warned me that you might have this concern. Auntie Ginny, I know I've said this a lot in the last hour, but I cannot emphasize enough on how this will all make sense when you read the books. In fact, I'm positive that as soon as you finish reading the seventh book—"

She stopped herself and thought of Uncle George breaking down over Uncle Fred before continuing. "Particularly after reading Chapter Thirty-One in the seventh book, you'll be singing a much different tune. Knowing you as well as I do, you won't be able to wait until next summer to start planning."

Ginny mulled over Rose's cryptic words, wondering what exactly will happen in Chapter Thirty-One in the seventh book. "I'll take your word for it," she ultimately said.

Rose gave her a sad smile, wishing that she could be there to hug her future aunt when she reads about Uncle Fred's death. "Thank you, Auntie Ginny," she said. "I know that all of this is a lot to process, but everything will be worth it when you succeed."

They shared another long hug. Then Rose reluctantly stepped away from the girl. She cancelled the privacy wards and pointed her wand at the 'year glass.' She began to count up the number of years to return to her own time, when she stopped to say one last thing.

"Change the future to the best of your ability, Auntie Ginny. You and your companions may not be able to change everything for the better. As long as the number of causalities and fatalities is kept at the barest of minimums, preferably at no real number at all, and as long as that ponce Voldy dies earlier on, that's all that matters."

Ginny nodded, a deadly serious expression still written on her face.

Rose began to count up again, but quickly remembered a few more things. "Try and ask Dad to play Quidditch together while Uncles Fred and George are away at school."

"Er, why exactly?" Ginny asked, breaking out of her determination. "I doubt he'll let me play with him, on the grounds of that stupid accusation of, 'you're too young and too little.'"

"How else is he ever going to beat Uncles Fred and George at two-a-side Quidditch? He'll need someone on his team who's just as sneaky as those two, but also just as determined at the game as he is," Rose replied.

"I take it you know about my little Quidditch secret?" asked an astonished Ginny.

"Oh, of course," said Rose. "During his fifth year, your fourth year, Dad was a little embarrassed to learn that his little sister was better than him at Quidditch, even though you played Chaser and he played Keeper. But, once he saw you play, any jealousy he had towards you disappeared." Then she thought of something. "Just let him know that it was difficult to teach yourself, and he shouldn't hold any animosity towards you."

"It was difficult to teach myself," Ginny admitted. "I kept falling and crashing, partly because I'd steal their broomsticks at night, when everyone was asleep, so I couldn't see very well, unless there was a full moon. No one was there to help me, or to tend to my wounds, so I often had to hide them from Mum and Dad by wearing long-sleeved clothing, even in the summer. It took me a month to finally get the hang of flying, and then another month to properly throw the Quaffle through a hoop, all in the darkest of hours. After all, there's only so much a six-year-old can do, even though I practiced every single night," she finished.

"Well, you know how that saying goes: practice makes perfect," said Rose.

"That's a saying?" asked Ginny, tilting her head again.

"Ah, that's right. You're a pure-blood; you won't know a whole lot of Muggle phrases. But yes, that is a saying. Given what you just told me, wouldn't you agree with it?" asked Rose.

"Oh, yes. Otherwise, I'd still be bollocks at flying," Ginny replied, laughing.

"Exactly. Now, I know you're worried about hiding things from your family, but, at least when it comes to helping Dad, you won't be lying to him about his favourite game," said Rose.

"That's good," said a grinning Ginny, feeling relieved that she wouldn't have to be too manipulative when it came to her youngest older brother. Then she remembered something, and her eyes widened. "Did you say that I played Chaser?"

"Yes, you did. However, you will find out about that in the books, and then later in those supplementary notes. I am not revealing any information, Auntie Ginny," said a rather strict Rose.

"Oh, all right," said a dejected Ginny. "Now I really can't wait to read the books. I hope I got to play Chaser for Gryffindor in the future. And then the Holyhead Harpies with Gwenog Jones! Oh, it's always been my dream to play for them!" she said excitedly.

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see," Rose said cryptically, but not without a smile.

Realizing that that was a hint towards some very good news, Ginny brightly returned the smile, already imagining donning the dark green robes that bore a gold talon emblazoned on the chest, holding a Quaffle in her right hand and the latest Nimbus broomstick in her left.

"Also," Rose continued, breaking Ginny away from her thoughts, "If my mum and dad still end up together, hopefully in a better relationship, and they have me, don't tell them or the future me about me. That wouldn't pass over very well."

Ginny chuckled. "No, I suppose it wouldn't."

Rose began counting up the number of years on her 'year glass' again, but stopped as she remembered something, something so important that she couldn't believe she forgot about it up to this point.

"Er, Auntie Ginny? One last thing, I promise."

"Yes?"

"Please, help Uncle Percy," said Rose cryptically. "You'll understand what I mean when you read the last four books, especially the very last book. Help him before it's too late."

Realizing that that was yet another thing she should probably not ask Rose, something that she should wait and find out about through reading the books and supplementary notes, Ginny kept a mental note of what Rose just said about her middle older brother and nodded to indicate that she understood.

Ginny and Rose shared one last long look as a teary-eyed yet serene-looking Rose counted up on her 'year glass.' Ginny began to wave at the woman when the latter counted up to ninety. Once she reached one-hundred, Rose Granger-Weasley gradually vanished before Ginevra Molly Weasley's eyes.

* * *

 **Original Author's Notes (2/12/2015):**

1\. Along with Harry Potter and everything about it, the "Over 9,000" meme and Terminator 2: Judgment Day **do not** belong to me. They belong to their respective creators, FUNimation and James Cameron. Harry Potter obviously belongs to J.K. Rowling and her alone.

2\. To those of you who felt that Ginny being able to read at the age of three seemed too early, the reason why I gave her that age is because I started reading when I was three years old.

3\. I threw in the "marriage counselling" thing after Rowling stated that Ron and Hermione would be okay if they went through that, a "bit of counselling," as she put it.

4\. Daniel Radcliffe: " **I'm very happy to end up with Ginny**. That was something that never crossed my mind. I find it very interesting that [J.K. Rowling] said I can't be going for her a few years later. But, yeah, I think there were a lot of people who felt that [Harry and Hermione] was the way they wanted it to end. But I dunno, I think that would have been a bit predictable."

Radcliffe, the guy who played Harry Potter for ten years, is a Harry/Ginny shipper. Notice how he said "that was something that never crossed my mind." He does not question Harry/Ginny; in fact, he's very happy that Harry ended up with Ginny. He then acknowledges that Harry/Hermione would have been too predictable, since in most fictional stories, the hero always gets the heroine. He likes Harry/Ginny because it was not predictable, due to Ginny not being the main heroine. He likes Harry/Ginny because the hero fell in love with a secondary character, something that isn't uncommon, but is also not exactly heard of often. Let that all sink in for a moment.

5\. If you actually read the 2014 interview all the way through (the full text can be found on MuggleNet), J.K. Rowling **never** once said that Harry and Hermione should have gotten together. She did say that they were compatible in some ways, but she never actually said that they should have gotten together, and she confirmed that they are not 100% compatible by explicitly stating that they were compatible  only "in some ways." I repeat, "in some ways." Therefore, Harry and Hermione as a couple are not 100% compatible. In the same interview, J.K. Rowling affirmed that Ron and Hermione would be able to make their relationship work, and she stated that part of Hermione's attraction to Ron is because he makes her laugh. If you look through all seven books, you'll find that Hermione doesn't take too well to Harry's cynical sense of humor, a sense of humor that happens to match Ginny's. In that interview, both J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson agreed that an uptight girl like Hermione needs a funny man like Ron. Also, while Ron can handle a rather dramatic girl like Hermione—be completely honest, she's more emotional than either Ginny or especially Luna, the other main female students in the books—Harry absolutely cannot stand dramatic weepy girls; that was confirmed in the fifth book with Cho. Meanwhile, J.K. Rowling has always, consistently, maintained that she planned, from the very beginning, for Harry and Ginny to become a couple because they were very compatible (read "Birds of a Feather" on TVTropes, one website that points out Harry and Ginny's many similarities), and J.K. Rowling has called Harry and Ginny soulmates on more than one occasion. Also, and this is very important: both Ron and Hermione will never understand what it's like for Harry to have Voldemort in his head. Ginny and only Ginny does know because of how she fought Tom Riddle and his Diary Horcrux for nine months (August to May) when she was only eleven years old, which is partly why Harry develops a strong connection with Ginny. J.K. Rowling even stated several times that part of Harry and Ginny's connection is from their mutual experiences with Voldemort. Read any of her interviews about Harry/Ginny and you'll find out what I'm talking about. Bad journalism belittled the entirety of the 2014 interview.

One last thing to remember, something that really should be obvious to everyone but it clearly isn't: as the creator of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling was the very first Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione shipper. Even after that 2014 interview, which was sorely taken out of context because people did not read the interview in its entirety when they should have, J.K. Rowling has maintained that Harry's love for Ginny is true. There are also two articles on Pottermore that are literally titled "29 signs that Hermione liked Ron from the start" and "8 adorable moments between Harry and Ginny." It is very obvious that J.K. Rowling is sticking with her ships. Everything on Pottermore and the upcoming Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, both of which are canon because they were founded and written by J.K. Rowling herself, is indicative of her preferred ships.

6\. A big shout-out goes to the HP books, HP Wikia, and HP Lexicon for all of the information that I needed to describe certain things, like the Burrow, Ginny's birthday, Rose's eye and hair colors, etc.

7\. To all of those who have read this chapter: thank you, thank you, and thank you! This is my first ever fanfic, and I am a brand-new fanfic writer, so I appreciate any reviews, either praise or criticism (as long as the criticism is not too harsh).

 **New Author's Note (7/7/2016):**

1\. This was the only chapter that was beta-ed, by Arnel. The next two chapters were not beta-ed.


	2. The Long and Arduous Wait

**Chapter 2: The Long and Arduous Wait**

Ginny let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. _Merlin, this was the strangest early birthday I've ever had_ , she thought. _I feel like I've gotten loads smarter in just one hour, taking all of this information in_.

The eight-year-old looked down towards the books and notes that lay on the ground, and then at the small, purple, beaded handbag in her hand that belonged—will belong—to her future sister-in-law, Hermione Granger. _Best to put these in this bag now, before I forget and cock up the whole thing_ , Ginny thought.

She did just that, so quickly that she still did not catch the titles of any of the books, not even before she swiftly placed the notes on top of them. She was amazed at how the books and notes looked bigger on the inside, whilst on the outside, it looked like she was carrying an empty handbag in her right hand.

 _Whoever this Hermione Granger girl is, she must be wicked smart to know a charm like this. I can't wait for her to be my sister-in-law!_ Ginny thought excitedly. _If only I could tell her about these books... No. I promised Rosie that I wouldn't tell her or Ron. As much as I don't like that I'll be hiding all of these secrets for Merlin knows how long, I've never gone back on my promises, and I'm not about to start now._

Ginny halted her thoughts as she mulled over her youngest elder brother. _Merlin, I still can't believe that Ickle Ronniekins is going to get married in the next decade. It's going to be ever so hard to not gape at him when next I see him._

Ginny's thoughts then wandered over to Scabbers, Percy's pet rat of nearly nine years. _If I recall correctly, Dad once said that a domesticated rat's average lifespan is roughly three years._

Ginny frowned and tucked her left hand beneath her chin as she grew increasingly suspicious. _So then... How has Scabbers been in this family for almost a decade? Why haven't any of us ever noticed that before? Hmm... I think I_ _will_ _hold off on reading the books for now. In three weeks, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George will return to school, and Percy will take Scabbers with him. Percy's room is on the second floor, right above my own room, and it overlooks the garden, so really, I can't read the books anywhere without the risk of having that stupid fat rat nearby. Yes, I can wait another three weeks. For now, I best keep this handbag with me at all times, or hide it somewhere. Thankfully, Scabbers doesn't like going to my room. It's probably because of all of the pink paint on the walls._

Ginny's thoughts began to go off on a tangent. _Which reminds me, why_ _is_ _my room painted pink? I know that I'm the only girl in a family of seven children, the seventh born in this family, and the first girl to be born into the Weasley family in seven generations, but pink is_ _not_ _my favourite colour. That would be green. Pink is more suitable for toads, my least favourite animal. Well, no, I also don't like snakes, especially really big snakes. But, since there are no snakes anywhere in Ottery St. Catchpole, I've never had to worry about snakes. Still, thanks to that pond in the garden and those other ponds in the cornfield, I've seen more toads than I'll ever want to in any lifetime. And if I should ever happen to run into a pink toad, I know I'll want to obliterate it immediately._

Ginny sighed. _Oh, if only I had a wand. Perhaps one made of yew wood. Well... only two more years until I can get one. Then I can try out that Bat-Bogey Hex that George once told me about._

Ginny shook her head vigorously. _Merlin, my thoughts ran rampant there. Focus, Ginny, focus! Right, so I'll wait until the four of them and Scabbers return to Hogwarts in three weeks. Then, I'll start reading the books. In the meantime, I'll keep the handbag with me at all times and stay away from Scabbers. That last bit shouldn't be too hard, since I rarely ever go to Percy's room and that rat rarely ever comes out of that room. Still, I'll need to keep an eye out for him, just in case._

As Ginny walked through the orchard, through the overgrown garden towards the Burrow, she couldn't help but think, _Why am I getting this odd feeling that I'm about to grow up too fast?_

* * *

That night, Ginny lay in her bed, thinking about everything that transpired that day: Rose's visit and everything that the woman told her, receiving the books and notes, and how her family didn't seem to suspect a thing.

It was only noon when Ginny returned to the house after her talk with Rose. Her father was still at work, her mum was still out in the village shopping with Charlie and Percy, and Fred, George and Ron were still sleeping.

 _Eleven o'clock was the perfect time for Rosie to come_ , Ginny thought. _I wonder if she and Hermione knew that they would all still be busy or asleep while I was playing in my beloved orchard, not having a care in the world._

Seeing Ron come down with the twins at one o'clock for lunch, just one hour after Rose returned to her own time, was odd. More than odd, actually; it was bizarre. The fact that Ron's future daughter came to visit her and pleaded for her to change the future was something that Ginny still needed to wrap her head around. Luckily, all he did was return her odd look, shrug, and move further into the kitchen to eat.

 _He's going to settle into a rotund middle age if he keeps eating the way he does_ , thought Ginny, feeling relieved at his lack of questions and looking disgusted at, and ashamed of, his bad table manners.

Somehow, no one in her family had noticed the purple handbag that Ginny kept at her side at all times. Not even the twins asked her about it. Or, if any of them did notice, they didn't say anything about it out loud. Ginny felt even more relieved at that. At the same time, though, she didn't like how she was already keeping a secret from them, even if it was seemingly a mere old handbag.

 _Now I_ _really_ _can't wait until I read the books. Then the secrets will continue to pile up_ , she thought sarcastically, as she punched her pillow into a comfortable shape and clasped her hands behind her head.

She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. _Three weeks is an awfully long time to wait, though_ , she lamented in her thoughts as she reviewed everything that Rose told her for the umpteenth time.

She then quietly chuckled to herself. _Merlin, Ginny. You're more excited about reading a bunch of books in three weeks than you are about celebrating your birthday in an hour. Then again, they_ _are_ _about the future, so of course my curiosity has shifted towards them than for my own birthday. Besides, the age of nine isn't a very important age. I won't have a significant birthday for another two years, when I can finally attend Hogwarts myself._

She sighed sadly at the thought of not yet being able to attend the same magical school that her parents, brothers, and cousins have, but she reminded herself that with all of the time in the world between now and then, she can at least reread the books at her own pace and plan better.

Ginny nearly yelped when the Muggle alarm clock on her nightstand went off at exactly midnight. She quickly slammed her palm against the button on the top. After taking a few seconds to calm down from the shock and to wonder why her Muggle-loving father gave her the blasted thing in the first place, she stared at the device.

Midnight. Twelve o'clock midnight. Exactly twelve hours had passed since Rose returned to her own time. Exactly thirteen hours ago, Ginny's life changed. _Hopefully, for the better_ , she mused in her thoughts.

She settled back into her bed and looked up at the ceiling once more. "Happy birthday, Ginny," she whispered to herself, before closing her eyes.

* * *

For the first time in years, Ginny didn't dream about Harry Potter, the hero of the Wizarding World. Not about meeting him, nor about marrying him. She still dreamt about wearing the most beautiful white dress and walking down the aisle with a smile on her face, but this time, she was walking towards a tall, faceless stranger.

Seeing the stranger woke her up just three hours later. For the very first time in Ginevra Molly Weasley's life, she was uncertain about her future. And she cared about that, very deeply.

Knowing that she wouldn't sleep well with that realization hanging over her head, the now nine-year-old crept downstairs and headed outside towards the broom shed. _Hopefully flying will help me feel better, like it always has,_ Ginny thought.

Three hours later, though, at the crack of dawn, Ginny returned to her room and lay on her bed, still thinking about the uncertain future. For once, flying did not make her feel better. If anything, it only made her thoughts run even wilder.

 _Bloody hell. I haven't even read the books yet and I already feel like I'm growing up too fast. Nine-year-olds don't worry about the future._ Ginny sighed sadly. _If this is how I feel now, I can't imagine how I'll feel in two months after I finish reading the books._ She sighed heavily again. _This is going to be a_ _long_ _three weeks._

Ginny punched her pillow into a comfortable shape again and settled her head in it. She closed her eyes in the hopes that sleep would finally claim her.

It didn't.

* * *

 **11th August 1990 – 18th August 1990**

Ginny's ninth birthday came and went. In all honesty, the nine-year-old was more anxious for her brothers leaving on first September than for her own birthday, as she was desperate to start reading the books that were still hidden in her new—or old, rather—handbag.

In the evening of her birthday, after the birthday feast and the birthday cake, Ginny opened her presents—a toy pyramid that turned into a Sphinx if one presses just the correct block from Bill, a toy dragon that somehow breathed fire from Charlie (which Molly wanted to throw away, thinking it was too dangerous a toy for a young girl to have, only to reluctantly change her mind when Ginny played with it for half an hour without burning herself), a book about the history of the Ministry from Percy (which Ginny planned to keep under her bed with his other books), Exploding Snaps from Fred and George, some Chocolate Frogs from Ron, a red ball of yarn and a pair of knitting needles from her mum, a new cauldron from her father, and two books from Adele and Ethel: one about the history of the Holyhead Harpies, and one about all of the charms known to witch and wizard. Percy and Molly weren't too keen about this last gift, but quickly shut their mouths when Arthur told them that he'd check it for any Dark magic. He also reminded them that Adele and Ethel would never give Ginny or her brothers anything that was potentially dangerous, and Molly's brother would never let his twin daughters allow it either.

Afterwards, Molly finally asked about the small, purple, beaded handbag that her only daughter suddenly acquired.

"My friend Rose from the village gave me this handbag as an early birthday present," Ginny explained. "She had to give it to me by owl a day early because she'll be out of town for the rest of the summer. Her owl arrived to me while I was playing in the orchard yesterday morning, when you were out with Charlie and Percy."

"It looks rather old, though," replied a suspicious Molly. "Why would your friend give you something so old and tattered? Auntie Muriel would seem more likely to give this away than a friend."

 _Bugger_ , Ginny thought. _I didn't think of that. When did Mum become so sharp?_

Ginny panicked in her thoughts for a few moments, trying to think of another false explanation. Her and Molly's attention was briefly diverted when they heard whooping sounds coming from outside. Charlie, Fred, George, and Ron were chasing a screaming Percy on their broomsticks in their Quidditch pitch, while their father was struggling to keep a straight face and shaking from trying to hold in his laughter. Then, an idea came to Ginny, thanks to something her mother just fed to her.

"Well, I didn't want to confess this, but, you caught me. It was Great-Auntie Muriel's. Don't you remember that she used to carry this around with her? Well, she got a bigger handbag recently, and she said she couldn't wait to get rid of this 'useless small thing,' so she decided to give me this hand-me-down for my birthday, but a day early." Ginny sighed a bit theatrically. "I'm sorry, Mum. I know that you think her gifts are something dreadful, but I couldn't bear to throw this away. I've never had a handbag before, and although this is a very old handbag, I've always wanted one to keep my most precious items safe. And I couldn't bear to have you angry at me for keeping it or her for giving it, so I felt that I had to make up an excuse for her. Please don't be mad, Mum, and please don't ask me to burn it or throw it away," she said, trying to look as genuinely shameful as possible.

That ended any further questioning on Molly's part, as she truly was not a fan of her loud, abrasive, gossip-loving aunt.

"Ginny dear, I could never be truly angry at my children. Not even Fred and George, as much of a ruckus they so often cause. I apologize for being so suspicious. And of course you can keep the handbag. It is a birthday present, after all," said Molly, smiling as she hugged her only daughter.

As Molly let go, though, Ginny could have sworn that she heard her mother mutter under her breath, "Even if that old crone thinks a small, old handbag is just perfect for our family."

As Molly moved towards the kitchen to clean up the mess caused by Fred and George's joke, which involved the birthday cake exploding when Ginny blew out the candles, she again muttered to herself about how the twins would do all of the chores for the next week as punishment. Given that they are underage, and therefore cannot use magic to do those chores, Ginny agreed that that seemed like a good enough punishment.

An hour later, as Charlie, Fred, George, and Ron were taking turns showering after their two-a-side Quidditch match—Ron was dismayed to lose to Fred and George yet again—Molly and Arthur managed to persuade Ginny to let them perform scanning spells on Adele and Ethel's charms book, to ensure that they didn't accidentally buy her a book chock-full of Dark Magic. Percy insisted on watching as well, stating that he wanted to ensure that his only sister wouldn't end up becoming a Dark Wizard. Ginny thought this to be an odd reason—surely he knew her better than that—although she also felt that the real reason was because he wanted to stay away from their brothers. His glasses were askew and the bridge of his nose had a very small patch of dirt, which Ginny supposed couldn't be washed off even after his shower. The dirt was finally cleaned off after their father cast _Tergeo_ and _Scourgify_ on his nose.

 _At least Mum and Percy will be at ease now_ , Ginny thought as she watched her mother and father perform three different scanning spells— _Paellego_ , _Exploro_ , and _Examino_ —on the charms book. Ginny, Percy and their parents were relieved to find that the book was safe to use, although her parents reminded her that she won't be able to use the book not only until she gets her own wand in two years, but also until she attends Hogwarts.

 _Blast the bloody Trace_ , thought a slightly miffed Ginny as her mum tried out a dust cleaning charm from the book— _Detergeo_.

Scabbers was another story. As usual, Ginny seldom ever saw him come out of Percy's room, so she did not have to keep a close eye on him like she thought she would. She was glad that he stayed in Percy's room throughout her birthday. However, the few times she did see him after her birthday had passed, such as the rare times Percy brought him down to eat a meal with them, Ginny couldn't help but scowl at him, when she was sure that he wasn't looking. Whenever she was caught doing so, she would pretend to cough or complain about the dust as cover-ups.

 _I've become quite the actress_ , Ginny thought amusedly, as her family never questioned her about it after that.

During one of those rare times she was in the rat's presence, Ginny realized that she didn't know the whole story of how Scabbers became a part of their family, other than that one time her father told her about how long a domesticated rat's lifespan is in the Muggle world. A week after her birthday, she decided to go for broke and ask her father about it in his garage.

"Percy discovered him in the garden one day when he was five," Arthur explained as he fiddled with one of his beloved plugs. "It was just after the First Wizarding War ended in 1981, over three months after you were born. If I recall correctly, it was mere days after your favourite hero, Harry Potter, defeated You-Know-Who. He looked awfully worn down and frightened, Scabbers did. Perhaps it was because he had just lost his toe. So, Percy took pity on him and declared him as his 'new pet rat.'" Arthur paused and looked intently at his daughter. "Where did this sudden interest in Scabbers come from, anyway?"

"It just occurred to me that Scabbers has had a long life for a rat. For as long as I can remember, he has always been in our family. So, I became curious. There's nothing wrong with that, right, Dad?" Ginny said in a convincing tone.

Arthur chuckled. "Of course not, dear. There's this great Muggle phrase that I'm quite fond of, one that Bill and Percy often go by: 'knowledge is power.' I'm glad to see that you've taken to that as well, Ginny."

"Me too, Dad," said Ginny, smiling.

 _If only you knew about_ _my_ _knowledge, and just how powerful it may become_ , she mused sadly in her thoughts, thinking about the secrets she's been hiding from her family for a week.

"You know," Arthur began thoughtfully after a few moments, "it is a bit odd that Scabbers has lived as long as he has. Most domesticated rats have a lifespan of three years, so he should have passed on back in 1984, right when Charlie began attending Hogwarts." He paused for a few moments before continuing. "Then again, he could be a magical rat, since all magical beings, including us witches and wizards, have a longer lifespan than those of Muggles. So, there is that possibility."

"I suppose," Ginny replied, unsure of what else to say.

All of that information about Scabbers made Ginny even more suspicious of him. _He's been living with us ever since the First Wizarding War ended, ever since Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who. And he just happened to lose his toe not too long before Percy found him? There are way too many odd coincidences when it comes to that stupid fat rat_ , Ginny mused in her thoughts.

She kept a firm hold on that suspicion throughout the next two weeks of waiting.

* * *

 **1st September 1990**

After a long three weeks since Rose's visit, first September had arrived at last. However, finally being free of Scabbers, and by extension, finally getting to read the books, could not have gone any slower.

The Weasleys' identical twin cousins from their maternal uncle, sixteen-year-old sixth years Adele and Ethel Prewett, arrived at eight o'clock that morning so that they could all travel to King's Cross Station together. Their father, and Molly's other older brother, Auror Ignatius Prewett II, was on a mission, so they came alone. Ever since their mother, Auror Camilla Longbottom, the older sister of Frank, died at the end of the First Wizarding War, Molly had become like a second mother to the girls, and she has often invited them over from their home in Stoatshead Hill as much as possible. Whenever Ignatius was on a mission, the girls were welcomed to the Burrow with open arms, and stayed with Ginny in her room. Hearing that they would often walk from the hill to the Burrow by themselves never sat well with Molly, and she's had more than a few words with her only living brother over the matter.

 _Rose told me that I had to give them the books after I finished_ , Ginny thought as she sat with her older, equally red-haired cousins at the kitchen table, waiting for her brothers to come down with their trunks. Ginny had woken up early specifically so that she could catch her cousins alone. _I can't tell them anything now, not while everyone is still running about. I have to make sure that they'll send me letters, so that I can ask them to come home for Christmas this year. It's the safest way to give them the books. Thank Merlin Percy decided to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays this year. That means that Scabbers will stay there too._

She paused as her thoughts turned elsewhere. _Wait... Why does Percy seem so keen on staying this year anyway? I wonder if it has to do with that blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in Ravenclaw whom Charlie kept teasing him about._

Ginny shook her head vigorously. _Merlin, when I think too much, my thoughts run wild. Focus, Ginny, focus! Ask them about exchanging letters before it's too late!_

"Say, Adele, Ethel," Ginny began. They looked up at her, bright brown eyes meeting bright brown. "You won't forget to write to me, will you?"

They smiled at her. "Of course not, Ginny," said the wavy-haired Adele.

"We'd never forget our favourite cousin," said the straight-haired Ethel.

"We're not about to pull a Ron on you."

"And especially not a Fred and George."

Ginny returned their smiles. "Good. Because I'd really like to know how your sixth year NEWT classes go. You did receive ten OWLs after all, so I can't help but be curious. Besides, I'm more comfortable in asking you than my brothers; they never tell me the whole truth about most things. And Quidditch, of course. I'd like to know how well you do in Quidditch this year. If Fred and George make the Gryffindor team, try to go easy on them. They're only second years, after all."

Adele and Ethel shared a long odd look. They each tied their long hair, which ran down to the middle of their backs, into a single plait before they looked at their small cousin and began speaking.

"We're Chasers, Ginny, not Beaters," said Adele.

"So we don't have to worry about your mischievous twin brothers," said Ethel.

"But, we do have to worry about their Keeper, Oliver Wood," Adele continued.

"What we're worrying about right now, though, is—" Ethel began.

"Why are you so curious about our classes?"

"Because, dear cousin, we don't mean to offend, but you do take more after Fred and George than either Bill or Percy."

"So what's up with you?" Adele finished.

Ginny blanched and cast her eyes down, her thoughts running unchecked. _Bugger! I slipped! I've never asked them about their classes before. What a dead giveaway that was! Way to cock things up, Ginny! And they noticed! No wonder they were Sorted into Ravenclaw and not Gryffindor!_

Ginny looked back up, and was surprised to see them staring at her intently, rather than looking suspicious of her. _Phew. I guess I haven't cocked things up after all!_ She thought, feeling relieved. _Right, best to give something away before they do become suspicious._

"I've got to tell you something," Ginny began carefully, "but I can't say it in person. It has to be done by letter. In fact, I'll explain everything in my first letter, I promise."

Her bright-haired cousins shared another long odd look, and Ginny was becoming nervous when they finally nodded and answered.

"All right, we'll be waiting for Errol," said Adele.

"When should we expect a letter?" asked Ethel.

"In a month, give or take a week," said Ginny, feeling relieved again. "Please, don't worry about it for now. Everything will make sense soon, I promise."

"Well, you've never been one to go back on your promises," said Ethel.

"And we've always trusted you with our secrets, so now it's our turn to return the favour," said Adele.

Ginny smiled at them again and nodded. _Perfect. Good form, Ginny._

"By the way, you understand why we couldn't come over for your birthday, right?" Ethel asked tentatively.

Ginny nodded. "Of course. You were celebrating your mum's birthday earlier that week, and, as usual, you and your father reminisced about her. I've said this every year for four years now; it's okay. I understand completely."

They smiled at her. "See, if it were Fred and George, they'd hang it over our heads—" began Ethel.

"And then pull pranks on us to show that they didn't really mean it," said Adele.

"Leaving us to contemplate which hex to use on them."

"Even if we're not of age just yet."

"Not for another five days, at least," they finished together, with matching sly grins on their faces.

Ginny laughed. "That sounds just like you."

As they laughed with her, Ginny felt a sweeping sense of triumph. _Brilliant. Things are already starting to fall into place. Once that stupid fat rat is gone, I can finally read the books!_ She thought excitedly as she clutched the beaded handbag underneath the table. Then, her thoughts travelled over to the birthday presents she received from her cousins. The Harpies book and the charms book were now in her room, on her desk next to her bed.

"Oh, and thank you so much for the books! I can't even use the charms book until I get a wand, and even then, I won't be able to use it until I attend Hogwarts, but I've looked through the book about the Holyhead Harpies a dozen times now! I positively love it!" said an excited Ginny as she shared a hug with her cousins.

"Well, we figured that your Mum, Dad and brothers—" began Adele.

"Would never give you such a book, since, apparently—" continued Ethel.

"You're 'too young and too little.' But, we know better."

"Just don't try any dangerous moves that those women have used."

"Such as the Wronski Feint—"

"Or the Starfish and Stick—"

"Although, those moves aren't used by Chasers—"

"But, regardless—"

"Please don't try anything dangerous," they finished together, donning a strict look on their faces.

 _Leave it to Adele and Ethel to have twin telepathy,_ _to have the ability to finish e_ _ach other's sentences, which, strangely enough, Fred and George never do_ , Ginny thought.

"I won't. I promise," Ginny said aloud, making sure to keep her hands on the table so that they wouldn't accuse her of crossing her fingers underneath the table.

 _It wouldn't do well to destroy their trust so soon after earning it,_ Ginny thought. _Still... It won't hurt to at least look up those manoeuvres. The Wronski Feint sounds familiar, possibly because Charlie's done it, but I don't believe I've heard of the second one._

Ginny's feeling of triumph from earning her cousins' trust, unfortunately, didn't last long. After they all finished eating breakfast, Molly discovered that Fred and George didn't pack their trunks the night before like they were supposed to, so they rushed to do so an hour before the eight Weasleys and two Prewetts left the Burrow. Then, fifteen minutes before the Knight Bus was to arrive, Charlie raced back home to retrieve his Prefect badge. Finally, right as the Knight Bus arrived, Percy realized that he forgot Scabbers. Ernie Prang, the elderly driver of the Knight Bus, was nice enough to wait patiently, for which Molly expressed her gratitude as Arthur returned with Percy via Side-Along Apparition five minutes later.

 _Thank Merlin he remembered that stupid fat rat_ , Ginny thought bitterly, watching the rat in question writhe in his cage as the Weasleys and Prewetts entered the Bus and greeted the conductor, Mr. Shunpike. As she sat next to Ron, she looked around at her bus companions, starting to her left.

Mr. Shunpike's own son, Stan, was a passenger on the Bus as well. He was a Hufflepuff in Charlie's year. Charlie sat next to him, and they were primarily talking about their plans after leaving Hogwarts come June—Charlie is going to move to Romania to study dragons (something that wasn't sitting well with Molly), while Stan is taking over his father's job, since Mr. Shunpike was craving retirement. To Charlie's left, Adele and Ethel were quietly, but excitedly, talking about coming of age in five days, which meant that they would be eligible for Apparition lessons in the Spring. To their left, Fred and George were grinning like a Cheshire Cat as they looked at an unsuspecting Percy, clearly preparing to pull a prank on him when they were away from their parents. To Percy's left and Ginny and Ron's right, Molly and Arthur were quietly discussing sending Howlers to their sons for nearly making them late. Ron nudged her gently, and they quietly lamented together over not being able to attend Hogwarts just yet.

While talking to her youngest older brother, Ginny remembered what Rose had said in regards to her future father. "Say, Ron," she began in a whisper. "Want to play Quidditch together when we return home?"

Ron looked at her as if she'd just asked him to snog Scabbers senseless. "You must be barking mad! You're too—"

"I've been stealing yours, Charlie's, Fred's, and George's broomsticks from the broom shed every night since I was six," Ginny whispered promptly, trying to ignore her rising anger towards her daft brother. "Since you lot never bothered to teach me how to fly, out of the stupid accusation that I was too young and too little, l had no choice but to teach myself. It wasn't easy, practicing in the darkest of hours, and I had to hide my injuries from Mum and Dad, but I wasn't going to wait around until I wasn't little anymore to finally learn."

She then remembered that Rose mentioned Ron's jealousy over her being a better Quidditch player than him at Hogwarts in the future, and then pressed on. "It took me some time to finally get the hang of flying, and then some more time to get the hang of throwing the Quaffle. I'm sure that I'm positively bollocks when it comes to Seeking, Keeping and Beating, since those are not my favourite positions, but I promise you, I'm a good Chaser, which, as you know, is excellent for keeping up a high score during a game."

As Ginny spoke, Ron looked a bit jealous, as expected, after learning that his younger sister learned how to fly a year before he did. Then, he looked a bit doubtful as she spoke about the injuries she had to hide, as he remembered that she often wore long-sleeved clothing for some odd reason that he could not fathom when she was around six years old. Eventually, he gaped at her as she spoke about her favourite position.

 _Good. You almost have him_ , Ginny thought. "Think about it. If we practice all year round, we'll have a chance in beating Fred and George at two-a-side Quidditch next summer, when they return from Hogwarts. You can block George's Quaffle, since he's bollocks at throwing, and I can swerve around Fred's supposedly brilliant Keeping skills and score on him."

Her youngest older brother flashed the most triumphant smile she'd ever seen on him. He truly loathes the fact that he's always lost against the twins at two-a-side Quidditch, even with Bill or Charlie on his team, thanks to Fred and George's tactful play of launching the Quaffle towards Ron's head, which always caused him to dodge it rather than hit it away.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you? No one else knows about this, except for Adele or Ethel, and they promised me years ago that they wouldn't tell," Ginny whispered.

"Not bloody likely," Ron whispered excitedly. "If you were able to teach yourself how to fly on an adult broomstick, in the middle of the night, and manage to hide your injuries from Mum and Dad for months, then you've got to be pretty good, right? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. It'll be our secret. Besides, I'd really like to win against Fred and George for once. Practicing every day for the next nine months will make that a cinch. If I can get Mum and Dad to let you play with me, you can use Mum's broomstick."

"Those twin devils won't know what hit them," Ginny whispered with a mischievous expression, which Ron returned.

After a few moments of revelling in their upcoming triumph, Ginny decided to go for the kill. "As I said before, I don't make a good Seeker, Keeper, or Beater, and although I prefer playing as a Chaser, I am interested in learning how to play in the three other positions. Since Charlie and the twins will be away at school and would probably refuse to teach me how to play their positions anyhow, can you teach me how to play as a Keeper?" she asked in a whisper.

Seeing the gleeful smile on Ron's face, particularly because she brought up his favourite Quidditch position, made Ginny think that learning a new position wouldn't be that bad after all.

 _Hopefully, this will help him become less jealous and unbearable as he gets older, especially when he pursues Hermione. Take that, marriage counselling!_ Ginny thought triumphantly, becoming amused as Ron somehow went from giving her tips on how to be a good Keeper to raving about the hopeless Chudley Cannons. She personally favoured the Holyhead Harpies, but she didn't want to bring about a petty argument over which team was better. Not after they just found a common interest to build up a better sibling relationship.

 _I can tease him about his team later. For now, I'm going to cherish this moment_ , Ginny thought, smiling as Ron began to rant about how the Cannons should return to their old motto, thinking that that would help them regain their motivation.

 _He seems to be ignoring the fact that the Cannons have lost the League Cup for the last ninety-eight consecutive years_ , Ginny thought, shaking her head at her staunch brother, but smiling all the same.

* * *

Ginny didn't think she'd ever be happy to see her brothers and cousins leave, especially since they were returning to Hogwarts (she still huffed over not doing the same), but she couldn't help it. As soon as the Hogwarts Express rounded the corner, a few minutes past eleven o'clock, she felt elated. Now that the stupid fat rat was gone for the next nine months, Ginny was finally able to read the books without hesitation. Now, she'll be able to fulfil her promise to Rose, to change the future for the better.

 _I've never gotten this excited over reading before. I think this'll definitely be worth the long arduous wait,_ Ginny thought. _Hmm... I don't want to be asked about the books just yet, so I think I'll wait until everyone's asleep to start reading the first book. Something tells me I'm not going to get much sleep tonight anyway._

That afternoon before dinner, Ginny and Ron had fun playing Quidditch together for the first time. Ron was able to persuade their parents that Ginny should play with him when he promised that he and Ginny wouldn't fly too high up in their Quidditch pitch. Even with their mum's broomstick, which Ginny never practiced on, Ginny nonetheless impressed Ron with her now not-so-secret Chaser skills, having scored on him eight consecutive times. She also nearly gave him heart failure when she unsuccessfully tried to perform a Wronski Feint. She would have collided with the ground had Ron not already been close to the ground and grabbed her shoulders to stop the impact.

In turn, Ron taught her the Double Eight Loop, and successfully blocked six of her goals in the next friendly match. He also unsuccessfully tried to perform the Starfish and Stick manoeuvre, and would have fallen towards a serious head injury had Ginny not grabbed both of his ankles a foot before the impending impact. They both thanked Merlin that Molly wasn't around to see either of their unsuccessful attempts.

By eleven o'clock that night, after making sure that Ron and their parents were asleep, Ginny settled into her bed and opened the beaded handbag. She pulled out the books and notes, setting the latter on her nightstand beside her alarm clock. She turned her head towards her bed, and her eyes widened when she finally saw the title of one of the books.

"Harry Potter!" Ginny whispered to herself excitedly. "These books are about Harry Potter!"

Her thoughts were unrestrained. _How did I not notice the titles of these books before? They're written in big letters! Then again, these books put together_ _are_ _a bit heavy, so I just blindly set them on the ground and didn't think about them until Rose left. Then, I was in such a hurry to make sure I didn't forget to put them in this handbag, and I didn't think to look at the titles! Of course, I_ _did_ _put the notes on top of them... Merlin, this biography series is about Harry Potter! Oh, now I_ _have_ _to start reading them._

Ginny looked at the book closest to her, and realized that she didn't know which book was the first one. _Hmm... The spine of this book doesn't have the year on it, such as 'Year 1' or 'Year 2' or anything like that. I'll have to check all seven books for the copyright page, then_ , she thought.

Ginny took the book closest to her and stared at its cover. It was predominantly red, with yellow and white letters that read 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.' The illustration showed the Hogwarts Express, and something else which left Ginny mesmerized. Below the train stood a boy with round-rimmed glasses, untidy jet-black hair, and a scar shaped like a lightning bolt upon his forehead. Ginny's primary focus, however, was on the boy's almond-shaped bright green eyes.

 _Merlin, he's cute_ , she thought. _I love his eyes. They're so beautiful..._

Ginny shook her head vigorously. _Stop getting distracted,_ she thought, although the blush that crept up her neck betrayed her as she struggled to get her thoughts together. _Find the copyright page and check the publication year. That'll determine if this is the first book._

Seven minutes later, after finally looking away from the boy on the book cover, Ginny found the copyright page and saw the publication year. She checked the other six books, and then stacked them on top of the notes in chronological order, arranged from top to bottom.

Ginny's eyes turned back to the first book, which lay in front of her. She gazed at the boy on the cover, getting lost in his green eyes once more, before nodding and donning a determined expression. _Right, now to fulfil my promise to Rosie_ , she thought as she took the book in her hands, opened it, and began to read the first chapter.

* * *

 **Original Author's Notes (2/14/2015)** **:**

1\. I know that J.K. Rowling said that Ginny was the first girl born in several generations, but I'm just using the lucky number 7 a bit more than she did, particularly when Ginny says she was the seventh girl born in seven generations.

2\. It is currently unknown if Stan Shunpike attended Hogwarts. However, in my story, I am assuming that he did. I have also assumed that he would have been Sorted into Hufflepuff. Despite his actions in the seventh book, he was Imperiused. So there's no way he could have been in Slytherin. I can't see him being a brave Gryffindor or a dignified Ravenclaw either. Therefore, I Sorted him into Hufflepuff, a House full of kind, loyal, and diligent students. I wrote Mr. Shunpike as a kind old man, and Stan will take over his father's job after leaving Hogwarts, so that his father can enjoy retirement. Plus, in canon, after Voldemort's ultimate defeat, Stan went back to his job as the Knight Bus conductor. So Stan is pretty loyal and diligent, and that's ultimately why I put him in Hufflepuff. Now, HP Wikia says that Stan was born in 1973, while HP Lexicon says 1975. In POA Chapter 3, Harry assumes that Stan is "only a few years older than [Harry] was, 18 or 19 at most," and then HBP Chapter 11 describes Stan as being 21 in 1996. This would mean that Stan was born in 1975. However, it makes more sense to me if Stan were born in 1973, because I've always gotten the impression that he had been the Knight Bus conductor for a while by the time he debuts in POA. Therefore, for this story, I am sticking with HP Wikia's birth year of 1973. This would also make him around the same age as Charlie and Tonks. In OOTP, Tonks threatened to hurt Stan, which could mean that she may know him. For this story, I am assuming that she does, and my Sorting Stan into Hufflepuff would further drive that home, since Tonks was a Hufflepuff in canon. This also gives me an excuse to give the severely underused Charlie something to do here.

3\. I will **NOT** have Ginny or her companions read the books out loud. That will **NEVER** happen throughout this story. That is a violation of the rules of fanfiction. In fact, just as a heads up, the next chapter will skip ahead five weeks, beginning right when Ginny has finished reading all seven books.

4\. The book covers that I described are the **old** book covers from the original Bloomsbury editions (such images can be seen on Wikipedia and TVTropes),  not the new ones from the new Bloomsbury editions (those were released in 2014).

5\. Adele and Ethel Prewett, and their parents, Ignatius Prewett II and Camilla Longbottom, are all my original characters. Adele and Ethel's birthday of 6th September, 1973, is the random date I picked. Ignatius being an Auror and Molly's other older brother, other than the canonical Fabian and Gideon Prewett, and Camilla being the older sister of Frank and also being an Auror, are also my creations.

6\. The four spells— _Paellego_ , _Exploro_ , _Examino_ , and _Detergeo_ —are all my creations. They derive from the Latin translations of "scanning," "test," "investigate," and "clean."

7\. A big shout-out goes to the Harry Potter books, HP Wikia, and HP Lexicon for all of the information that I needed to describe certain things.

8\. To all of those who have read this chapter: thank you, thank you, and thank you! I appreciate any reviews, either praise or criticism (as long as the criticism is not too harsh)!

 **New Author's Notes (7/17/2016) :**

1\. Unlike the previous chapter, this chapter was not beta-ed.

2\. I added in Ginny stating that she wanted a wand made of yew wood based on something that J.K. Rowling posted on Twitter in April 2016, where some information about Ginny's wand was given for the very first time: the core and length of Ginny's wand are still unknown, but it is made of yew wood, which, given its description on Pottermore and HP Wikia, matches her fierce protectiveness of Harry and other people who have been bullied (such as Neville and Luna).


	3. New Feelings and Planning

**Chapter 3: New Feelings and Planning**

 **6th October 1990**

"Bloody hell," Ginny whispered to herself as she closed the seventh book. She placed it on her nightstand, stacking it on top of the sixth book before putting Hermione's handbag on top of it. Her bright brown eyes were red and swollen from crying, something that has been a constant for the last five hours. Ever since she read what happened at the end of Chapter Thirty-One, ever since she read how Fred—

Ginny shook her head vigorously, forcing herself to not think about that. She sat up on her bed and leaned back until her back was pressed against her pink-coloured wall. She pulled her knees against her chest, placed her head on her knees, and massaged her temples. Ginny couldn't believe that everything she had been reading for the last five weeks will begin to happen the following year. She didn't quite know what to think.

If there was one thing that Ginny did know, though, after reading all seven books, it was that she no longer wants to become romantically involved with Harry James Potter. Not if he was never going to truly see the real her, particularly after she grew up. Not if he was going to miss what was right under his nose for so many years. Not if he was going to repeatedly break her heart and make her wait for him, involuntarily and voluntarily.

Ginny scoffed and shook her head slowly but angrily. Any romantic feelings that she had for Harry were completely gone now. Gone was the fangirl with the silly and hindering crush, the naïve girl who used to fantasize about meeting him, being swept off her feet by him, marrying him, and living happily ever after together. Ginny swore to herself that she was never going to be that girl again, never ever. She was not going to ogle at him like he was something at a Muggle zoo. She was ashamed of how she loved the idea of him when she was younger and less mature, when the real Harry was not heroic and was, instead, very selfish, especially when it came to her. No. That girl was gone. This new Ginny was going to remain true to her fiery, talkative, independent personality. This new Ginny refused to be reduced to an uncharacteristically shy mess around Harry. She swore to herself that this time, that won't happen, because she no longer fancies him. Not the Boy Who Lived, not the Hero of the Wizarding World, not Harry Potter, not even just Harry.

Ginny swore that this time around, she will find someone who won't make her cry, who refuses to make her wait, and who will want her as soon as he realizes his feelings for her. She'll find someone who won't think she's a slag or a scarlet woman just because she had two relationships before she ended up with him. She read how Harry's so-called chest monster was "roaring its approval" when Ron nearly called her a slag or scarlet woman or what-have-thou, just because she was snogging her boyfriend. Not some random bloke, but her boyfriend, who she had been dating for several months at that point. Harry actually thought that she was like that. All because she shared a snog with her boyfriend of several months? That was another reason as to why she didn't want to be romantically involved with Harry.

This was despite the fact that her book-self's relationships with Michael Corner and Dean Thomas each lasted one full year before they ended, which Ginny found quite remarkable for a teenaged girl. If her book-self truly was a slag, then she would have dated around a lot more than just two blokes before dating and then marrying the third bloke, and those relationships not only would have been completely meaningless, but they also wouldn't have lasted a full year.

There was also the fact that, based solely on what she read, her relationships with either Michael or Dean were not all that serious in comparison to her relationship with Harry, even though she was with each of them for a full year, compared to how she was with Harry for nearly two months before the War ended. She called Michael "the fool" for drawing unnecessary attention to the D.A. She didn't like how he was too soft on her during the D.A. meetings by not properly duelling her. He was a "bad loser" for not being proud of her Quidditch victory when she caught the Snitch right from under Cho's nose, and then he immediately ran off to comfort said human hosepipe. Ginny and Michael overall didn't do a lot of normal things that a couple did, such as going on dates at Hogsmeade, holding hands, walking each other to their classes, etc.

Ginny did note that her book-self's relationship with Dean was slightly more serious, though. Whereas she sat with Harry just before her fourth year began, even though she was dating Michael by that time, she sat with Dean on the Hogwarts Express just before her fifth year. She and Dean went to that Merlin-awful Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop for a date, and they shared that one passionate snog… all before Harry and Ron discovered them in the middle of said snog. It was only after that when things went downhill between her and Dean. They rowed over little things such as his overprotectiveness towards her and how he thought Harry's fractured skull during a Quidditch match was deemed a funny accident. Had their relationship been truly serious, they would not have rowed over little things, which led to rather big blowouts, and their relationship certainly would not have finally ended after Dean was helping her through the portrait hole—although the present Ginny had to admit, she was rather annoyed that a bloke thought she was too fragile to do something as simple as walking through the portrait hole by herself, without any help.

Book-Ginny got over both relationships very easily, so the present Ginny came to the conclusion that while her book-self did like Michael and Dean, at least enough to spend a year together as a couple with each of them separately, she didn't love them. Based on how not-serious her relationships with each of them were, she never went past snogging with either of them, because she didn't love them. Present Ginny could never imagine being intimate with a bloke unless she loved him with all of her heart. She figured that her book-self would never give her virtue to anyone, except for the one she loved. It just didn't fit how she was characterised in the books—and present Ginny was the same as she was written in the books, just younger at the moment. If her book-self truly was a slag, she would have easily given her virtue to either Michael or Dean. However, Ginny noted that nowhere in the books was it ever indicated that her relationships with either of them were serious enough to go beyond second base, which, according to the surprisingly experienced Adele and Ethel, involves… touching certain parts of each other's bodies that Ginny sincerely hoped she would never do until she was much, much older.

Based on how her relationship with Harry was much more serious in comparison, despite only dating for less than two months before the War ended, and based on how her book-self ended up marrying Harry and giving him three children, she obviously did go past snogging with him. She really did love him if she married him and shared children with him, and Ginny knew in her heart of hearts that she could never have children with someone she didn't love. She gave her virtue to him and only him. Harry was the one she loved most.

And, given how Harry had always described her book-self very lovingly and rather romantically, and with such high praise—even when compared to Cho, Parvati, Hermione and Luna, and even when he was as young as twelve years old, what with his thinking of her eyes as being "bright brown" instead of just being "brown," and with his thinking of her blushes as "glowing like the setting sun" or how she blushed "to the roots of her flaming hair"—how he described his relationship with her as "making him happier than he could remember being for a very long time," how he thought about her constantly during the rather pointless Horcrux Hunt, how he often stared at her dot on the Marauder's Map in the hopes that she'd somehow know that he was thinking about her—Ginny wondered why she never inherited it from her twin brothers, but, given that Harry is the son of James, a.k.a. Prongs, she eventually understood why—how she was the only person he thought of right before he "died," how he ran after Bellatrix when the psychotic evil witch nearly killed her book-self, in which he completely forgot about the task of finally killing Voldemort just because she was nearly killed… The strongest Love Potion in the world could not have produced the genuine happiness Harry felt when he was with her. The strongest Love Potion could not have made Harry think of her as his very last thought right before he "died." Ginny noted that when Harry "died," he did not think about Ron, or Hermione, or his parents, or her own family, or Sirius, or Remus, or Dumbledore. Harry's last thought was of her, and only her. Harry's love for her was true. She, Ginny, was the one Harry loved most. Ginny understood all of this.

But, reading how Harry ignored her book-self even though he noticed that something was wrong with her during her horrible first year—how he noticed her reaction to the Dementor on the Hogwarts Express but didn't think to comfort her or ask her about it—how he knew that she was becoming comfortable around him and how they actually became friends during the summer before his fourth year but still chose to ask another girl to the Yule Ball, a girl who didn't show a genuine interest in Harry, who later tried to replace him with a former boyfriend whom she clearly loved more, who was always going to think of Harry as being second best to her first boyfriend, which was something that understandably aggravated him to no end—how he didn't think to ask her about Voldemort possibly possessing him—how he forgot about the ordeal that nearly killed the two of them in the Chamber of Secrets, after she fought the would-be Voldemort for nine months—how he kept so many secrets from her even after they became a couple—how he didn't trust her compared to Ron and Hermione even after they became a couple—how he selfishly broke up with her, despite describing his time with her as "making him happier" and such, to keep her safe, when she still suffered badly at Hogwarts with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, in which the secondary trio tried to protect themselves and the younger students from the Carrow siblings and the Slytherins, and in which he clearly forgot that she was born into a well-known "blood-traitor" family and that everyone at school, including the Slytherins, knew of their relationship… Given all of Harry's actions towards her, before, during, and after their brief time together as a couple during the War, Ginny just could not bear to suffer that same hurt this time. She had no idea how her book-self was able to forgive Harry after everything that he did, enough to marry him and share children with him, but she needed to save herself from being hurt. Ginny figured that as long as she refused to become romantically involved with Harry, she wouldn't get hurt this time.

She also didn't want to become romantically involved with either Michael or Dean, because, had Hermione not suggested that she try to move on and give up on her crush by dating other blokes, Ginny's book-self probably would not have entered those relationships in the first place. It wouldn't be fair to either of them if she dated them this time around, knowing that she could only like them, but never love them.

Despite her changed feelings towards him, Ginny knew that she still had to include Harry in her conquest to change the future for the better. Not only did she indirectly tell Rose that she would do so, when she promised that she would give the books to her then-unknown future husband, but she also reasoned that Harry wouldn't be Harry if he didn't go through the experiences from the books. Also, the prophecy states that as the so-called "Chosen One," Harry is the only one who can kill Voldemort once and for all, because Voldemort chose him instead of Neville, possibly because he and Harry are half-bloods while Neville is a pure-blood, so the evil ponce considered Harry his equal. Whatever the reason or reasons, Harry will have to "die" and be sent to Limbo first before he can fulfil the prophecy. Ginny wasn't going to be like Dumbledore, who not only left Harry with the absolutely dreadful Dursleys (the bond of blood charm notwithstanding), but who also has no qualms in hiding the most important details of Harry's life and destiny from him. The more Harry knew about himself and what he had to do, the sooner he could fulfil the prophecy and be as normal a wizard as possible, and the sooner that a better future could be written for all of them. Even if it meant that James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna would not be a part of the new future.

 _That reminds me, how in the name of Merlin's most baggy Y-fronts did Harry and my book-self ever come to name our second son after both the old bastard_ _and_ _the greasy git?_ Ginny thought. _Even though I now know Snivellus Greasy's full backstory, including his eternal unrequited love for Lily J. Evans Potter and his current role as a double agent, I still can't see how I was okay with the name. Did Harry_ _want_ _our second son to be bullied at school? After all of the bullying he had to endure from the snakes and the Dursleys? After all of the bullying I had to endure in my first year, not only from my own schoolmates for my second-hand robes and books, but also from Tom bloody Riddle, the would-be Voldemort? After all of the bullying my whole family has had to endure simply for being "dirt poor," "blood-traitors," "Muggle lovers," and "soulless gingers"? Humph. Well, no child of mine is going to endure bullying. Not if I can help it._

Thinking about her possible future children made Ginny stop and think for several moments. It had only been a few minutes since she had finished reading the epilogue, and yet she had already grown attached to those three. Just knowing that she would have children of her own, children who remind her of her own loud yet loving family, was enough to turn Ginny's heart into mush. However, given her new feelings towards Harry, she refused to marry him, let alone have his children.

After several more long moments, a thought occurred to her. _Perhaps... The three of them_ _can_ _still exist in this new timeline; they will simply have a different mother. James Sirius will not inherit my brown eyes, and Lily Luna will not inherit either my brown eyes or red hair. No matter. Harry deserves a happy ending, to have a family he loves and who love him back unconditionally, but he won't build that family with me._

Ginny paused her thought as another one came to her. _However, if Harry chooses to read the books—whenever I give them to him, that is; June is probably the earliest that Adele, Ethel, and I can do so—and if he chooses to join us, maybe we'll become friends long before my fourth year. Although we did talk quite a bit in the fourth book, up until just before the Yule Ball, so I suppose we really became friends in my third year; he unfortunately didn't notice until I gave up my crush on him. Anyways... No, it would not hurt to become friends with him earlier on this time. According to Mum and Dad, many great marriages start out as friendships. So, at the very least, friendship is definitely something I want with Harry. Anything else beyond that... Well, we'll cross that bridge if "anything else" even happens, although I'd rather not have to deal with that. I don't want to be with him like_ _that_ _. Even so, a friendship can only be formed if he wants to read the books and join us. And if he doesn't want to do either... Well, I'll cross_ _that_ _bridge when we approach him next year._

With her new feelings for Harry resolved, Ginny looked around her room, and her eyes landed on a picture on her wall. It was of a five-year-old Fred being yelled at by their mum, just after the former turned Ron's teddy bear into a great big filthy spider. Their father took a picture of the moment with his Muggle camera to remind Fred to never cross his mother like that again. Ginny was only two years old when this happened, so she doesn't remember the incident at all, but later on, she nicked the photograph because she wanted to be able to mimic her mum, mostly for whenever she wanted to threaten the twins if they didn't include her in their pranks. The photograph helped Ginny develop her best Molly Prewett Weasley impression, and it has helped her keep the twins and Ron in check several times in the last few years.

Looking at it now, though, brought Ginny to tears once more. In the unmoving Muggle photograph, Fred was laughing, despite being yelled at, and George was not in it. Eight years from now, Fred will die while laughing during the Battle of Hogwarts, and George, who will lose his left ear ten months prior to the Battle, will not be nearby to witness it. Eight years from now, the very phrases "Fred and George" and "the Weasley twins" will be shortened to just "George."

Ginny shook her head vigorously again and angrily wiped away her tears. _No! I'm not going to let that happen! No matter what happens between Harry and me, no matter how much we manipulate events in this timeline, I will_ _not_ _let Fred die this time! And..._

Ginny stopped to think about all of the other causalities in the upcoming Second Wizarding War. There were so many of them…

 _Cedric Diggory. Broderick Bode. Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. Florean Fortescue. Susan Bones' aunt, Madam Amelia. Emmeline Vance. Hannah Abbott's mum. Little five-year-old Montgomery. Headmaster Dumbledore. Professor Burbage. Hedwig. Professor Moody. Minister Rufus Scrimgeour. Mykew Gregorovitch. Bathilda Bagshot. Ted Tonks. Dirk Cresswell. Gornuk. Gellert Grindelwald. Dobby. Griphook. Bogrod. Professor Lupin. Tonks. Colin Creevey. Lavender Brown. Even that greasy git double agent Professor Snape. And so many other victims... There were so many personal losses... Fred was the most personal loss for us… None of them will die this time._ _None_ _of them will die_ _this_ _time! If history is to change, let it change! I swear upon the former Fred that my companions and I_ _will_ _change the future for the better!_ Ginny nodded determinedly to herself as her thoughts stopped running wild.

At the stroke of midnight, knowing that she would not be able to sleep tonight (of course, she has barely gotten any sleep in the last five weeks), Ginny decided to get to writing her letter to Adele and Ethel. Because the books took up her evenings and late nights, Ginny didn't write a very long letter for their seventeenth birthday the previous month. Instead, she wrote a brief letter that expressed birthday wishes and her love for them, along with a promise that she'd write them a much longer letter the following month. _Best to do it now than later, while all of this is still fresh_ , Ginny thought. _Besides, it'll distract me from thinking about... about... Fred..._

Ginny got out of bed, went over to her desk, and sat in her chair. She pulled out a quill, some ink, and some parchment from one of the desk drawers. After thinking about what she should say without revealing too much information, she began to write.

 _Dear Adele and Ethel,_

 _I'm so sorry for the short letter that I sent for your birthday last month. I was busy dealing with my secret, and hiding my secret from Mum, Dad and Ron that I didn't have time to really think about what to say. I also couldn't think of a good enough present for you—you're of age now, after all!—so I hope you liked the Chocolate Frogs._

 _As for my secret... I can't tell you about it through letter. It's something that needs to be explained in person. That is why I hope you will come to the Burrow for the Christmas holidays, rather than stay at Hogwarts like you usually do. Since you no longer have the Trace on you, you will be able to use Silencing Charms and other charms to ensure our privacy when I finally tell you everything._

 _If you want to stay at Hogwarts, though... I won't blame you. Once I start at Hogwarts, I probably won't want to come home for the holidays either. I'd want to explore the place and memorize it, so that I'll always remember it long after I graduate._

 _The only problem is... If you stay... I'd have to wait till the summer to finally tell you. I don't mean to frighten you when I say this so seriously, but I really don't think it can wait until June._

 _I hope Errol won't get lost trying to find his way to Hogwarts again. Ruddy owl is really starting to show his age. I suspect in about four years, we'll have to replace him._

 _From your favourite cousin in the whole wide Wizarding World,_

 _Ginny_

Ginny folded the stack of parchment into thirds, tied it with some string and addressed it. She put all of the books and notes back inside Hermione's handbag before placing it on top of the letter. She then settled back into her bed, rolling over onto her side to take one last look at the letter and handbag on her desk. _I'll give the letter to Errol tomorrow. Hopefully, it won't take a week for Adele and Ethel to receive it_ , Ginny thought as sleep finally claimed her.

* * *

 **14th October 1990**

 _Dearest Ginny,_

 _We must admit that we were quite curious about the secret you promised to inform us about, and we were more than a little miffed to read that you were going to delay telling us once again. We also each got Professor Dumbledore with our Frogs, and we already had five of him before. Anyways, upon reading your letter in its entirety, we feel that we must put your worried feelings at rest._

 _We would love to stay with you at the Burrow for the Christmas holidays. Our curiosity over your secret and your urgency to inform us of it in person are far too great to pass up when an early opportunity is presented. We expect to see you at King's Cross on twenty-second December._

 _As we're sure you know, Fred and George are now Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. We will try to go easy on them when we face them in May. However, it won't be our fault if we somehow accidentally ram the Quaffle at their heads rather than past Oliver Wood's post. We're quite certain that Ron may even be happy if Ravenclaw wins; a bit of payback for how awful they treat him during the summertime two-a-side Quidditch matches._

 _Tell Auntie Molly to not worry about Errol. He can stay with us at school as he regains consciousness from the long journey. We really ought to do something about his abysmal eyesight, the poor ancient menace. Anyways, you know how our Scops, Archimedes, likes to be treated: feed him some roasted dead animal, scratch behind his ear, and then retrieve the letter. Since it will take some time for Errol to get his strength back, we should continue our correspondence using Archimedes; he's younger and more likely to survive the long flight between Scotland and Devon._

 _All our love,_

 _A & E_

* * *

 **20th October 1990**

 _Dear my sort-of sisters,_

 _Thank you, thank you, thank you! Don't worry, I'll be there with Mum to greet you. We'll have to sleep in the same room so that I can finally tell you my secret. However, I was thinking that instead of my room, we should sleep in Fred and George's room, since it's a little bigger than mine and they're staying at Hogwarts for the holidays again._

 _Speaking of those two, I did hear about that! Charlie sent us a letter about it. He was so excited and proud, his handwriting looked like a hurried scrawl and much of his parchment was spattered with ink. As much as the twins love pranks, their love for Quidditch is just as strong. They're probably going to be unbeatable, pun intended. I understand why you'd want to get revenge on Ron's behalf, but don't you think you could go a little easy on them? It won't be their first game by the time May comes round, but Gryffindor hasn't won the Quidditch Cup in four years._

 _I wish I could come and see the Gryffindor-Slytherin match. I wish I didn't have to wait two more years to finally go to my first Quidditch match. According to a letter that Fred and George wrote to Mum, the three Chaser spots on the Gryffindor team are already filled through their seventh year. That means that I won't be able to play until my fifth year! I really wish I weren't so young, because I'm always excluded and left behind. It hurts… I try really hard to not show that it hurts, but… It does._

 _However, I'm included in Quidditch at home now! I confessed to Ron that I've been nicking the broomsticks since I was six, and after I told him how hard it was to teach myself, he actually wasn't jealous of me; he was rather proud of me! He positively beamed when I asked him to teach me how to play as a Keeper. He also managed to get Mum and Dad to allow me to play with him! We've been practicing every day before dinner, so we may be able to beat Fred and George at two-a-side Quidditch this coming summer, even though I've been using Mum's Comet 220, which I'm still not quite used to, compared to Charlie's, Fred's, George's and Ron's broomsticks. I hope you two will be there to witness their long-awaiting dual defeat._

 _I'm really going to miss Ron when he starts at Hogwarts next year. I won't have anyone to play Quidditch with... And... I'll be left behind again..._

 _Actually... It'll be worse next year because no one will be home, except for Mum and Dad. Bill will still be in Egypt, Charlie will be in Romania, you two, Percy and the twins will be at Hogwarts, Ron is going to join you... And then Dad will be at the Ministry until who knows when; his hours aren't consistent. For the most part, it'll just be Mum and me. I love her, I really do, but she always wants me to learn how to knit or cook, when all I want to do is fly on a broom—although, not necessarily hers, since older Comet broomsticks tend to pay more attention to looks than to quality—and throw a Quaffle._

 _Bloody hell, I was unrestrained there. I'm sorry. I just really don't like being left behind. No matter. I'm setting out to change that. Say, what do you know about Nymphadora Tonks? I overheard Charlie and Stan Shunpike talking about her on the Knight Bus back in September. From what I gathered, she sounds pretty brilliant; I believe Charlie said she wanted to be an Auror. If that's true, then perhaps you'd like to be acquainted with her? Since you want to follow in your parents' footsteps and become Aurors after you graduate._

 _Speaking of owls, since we all prefer Archimedes over Errol, perhaps we'll get ourselves a Scops Owl once Errol finally snuffs it. I've got the most humorous name for it already._

 _I can't wait to see you in two months!_

 _All my love,_

 _Ginny_

* * *

 **28th October 1990**

 _Ginny,_

 _This is the last letter we will send before the holidays. Our classes aren't getting easier, and our captain is drilling us in preparation for our first match against Hufflepuff, even though it's three weeks from now. Please don't send a letter in response to this one. It'll be hard to send another letter before the holidays, so we hope this will get you through the next two months._

 _If we have ever made you feel excluded and left behind, please let us know in December. It was never our intention, especially since we've seen how you are treated in your family. We know they love you, but your family has always told you that you're 'too little' or 'too young' to do anything. It's completely unfair, seeing as you take after Fred and George more than any of your other brothers—and we don't just mean in your short stature and physical features, such as when your jaw is set. We've tried to treat you equally, but if you can recall a time when we didn't, please let us know over the holidays. We will make it up to you, somehow._

 _For the past two days, we have wondered why you mentioned this Nymphadora Tonks, who has no relation to us or to your immediate family. She does not play Quidditch, and from what we've seen of her, she is rather clumsy. How she aspires to be an Auror, we do not know. Then again, looks can be deceiving. She could be very competent underneath all of the tripping and falling, and we have seen for ourselves that she is a Metamorphmagus, which will help her easily pass the Concealment and Disguise portion of Auror training without doing any work for it. She's very lucky in that regard. We have a feeling that she has something to do with your secret somehow, so we will try to get to know her. It'll be hard to approach her, since she's a year ahead of us and in a different House, but we will try to strike up an acquaintanceship with her._

 _Learning to knit and cook are good skills to have, Ginny. One day, you may have your own house of sprogs to take care of, and Auntie Molly may not be around to teach you then. That may not necessarily be true, since magical beings such as ourselves tend to have a longer lifespan than Muggles. Even so, think of the joy you'll bring to her face if she sees that you're at least making an effort. We will never get an opportunity to learn anything from our own mum, for she has since joined Uncles Fabian and Gideon, so you really ought to cherish what little time you have left with her..._

 _Ahem. Anyways, we're very proud of you for telling Ron about you nicking their broomsticks. Out of all of your brothers, he seems to be the only one who was bitten by the jealousy bug. Then again, given that Bill is the eldest, Charlie is the Quidditch Captain and Seeker for Gryffindor, Percy is the most hard-working, Fred and George are mischievous pranksters who can make people laugh, and you're the baby and the only girl, Ron has long suffered from middle child syndrome. He was bound to become jealous of you all. Had you continued to keep your Quidditch skills a secret from him, he would have developed a sort of animosity towards you if the two of you tried out for a House team (most likely Gryffindor) in a few years. However, from what you told us in your previous letter, you being honest with him has helped lessen that, so whatever else you're doing to rid him of his jealousy, we encourage you to continue doing so._

 _Then again, Ron excels best at Wizard's chess, thwarting nearly everyone in the extended family, including all of your brothers, so he must have a keen yet hidden knack for strategy and tactics. Perhaps you could ask him to teach you how to play? Not only will you learn another good skill, but you'll also spend more time with him before you're left behind at home next year. If he enjoys spending all of this time with you, playing Quidditch and Wizard's chess together, he'll be sure to write to you when he attends Hogwarts because he'll miss you, not because he'll feel like he has to. That is, if he has indeed been maturing like we have assumed._

 _Anyways, whenever you and Ron play against the twin devils, do let us know. We'd love to see if they can finally be defeated. From what Charlie has told us, they've become rather unbeatable, like you suspected, but we'll see for ourselves in a few weeks' time._

 _Speaking of which, enclosed with your letter is a letter for Auntie Molly, asking if the three of us could share the twins' room for the holidays, and, if she approves, to check if the room is even safe to sleep in. Be sure to give it to her. Also enclosed is a picture of Charlie and the twins in their Quidditch uniforms. We figured it would be best to take a photograph of the lot of them looking proud of themselves before Slytherin clobbers them for the fourth year in a row._

 _Regards,_

 _A & E_

* * *

 **3rd November 1990**

After reading Adele and Ethel's latest letter the previous day, Ginny felt more at ease. She had not been this calm since before Rose's fateful visit. She has made good on her promises to her future niece thus far: she stayed away from Scabbers—no, Peter Pettigrew, the traitorous, form-appropriate rat who sold out Harry's parents to Voldemort—during the rest of the summer; she let Ron in on her Quidditch secret, and from this, he is now encouraging her to practice with him every day rather than discouraging her, and he's also steadily losing jealousy towards her; and she read all seven books and has brought her cousins along for the time-altering adventure. She had also internally made a promise to ask Ron to teach her how to play Wizard's chess in the near future. With all of the planning she and her companions will do, Ginny knew that she was going to need the skills to be a good strategist. She wanted to be able to keep up with her older, stronger companions once they were all together.

Sitting in the orchard with her back against a tall tree, breathing in the cool autumn air while watching the sun rise and keeping an iron grip on Hermione's handbag, Ginny wrapped her arms around herself as she mulled over her choice of companions. While Adele and Ethel would be a good, impartial third-party who would be unbiased in their opinions, and while Harry has to be included, Ginny is still conflicted about the fifth person. Rose said that her fifth companion would be prominent in the third, fifth and seventh books. Ginny could think of only two people who fit that criterion: Professor Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. However, she had no idea where Lupin is, and Sirius is still misplaced in Azkaban. She thought about writing to Lupin, but not only could she not think of what to say to him without causing a stir, but Molly would become furious and worried if she discovered that her only daughter was attempting to contact a werewolf. There was also the unfortunate fact that Pettigrew was currently at Hogwarts with Percy (something that hasn't been sitting well with Ginny for the last several weeks), so Sirius cannot be released just yet, not without finding a plausible way to oust the rat.

Suddenly, a thought came to her. _Of course_ , Ginny thought as she smacked her forehead. _He_ _would_ _be the most logical fifth companion. The Locket is in Grimmauld Place, so he can get it from Kreacher. But, how am I going to talk to him while he's suffering in Azkaban? More importantly, can he get his trial and officially be deemed innocent before Harry's sixth year? And even if that is possible, how in the name of Merlin can it happen?_ She bit her lip and massaged her temples as she wracked her brain for an answer.

After a half-hour of trying, and failing, to come up with an answer, Ginny realized something. Something so important that she didn't just feel like smacking her forehead; she felt like banging her head against the tree trunk (not unlike something that Dobby would do) for not remembering to do this as soon as she had finished reading all of the books.

With her head still intact, Ginny sat up abruptly, tied her long hair in a single plait and ran back to the Burrow and into her room. She pulled out all of the supplementary notes from Hermione's handbag and laid them out on her bed. She grinned at the fact that Hermione organized the notes by category (Death Eaters, Hogwarts students, Second Order of the Phoenix, etc.), and each category was alphabetized. It saved Ginny a lot of time, and for that, she was already grateful to the sister-in-law she hasn't met yet.

After separating the categories on her bed, Ginny rolled up the sleeves of her green jumper and whispered to herself, "All right, time to start planning."

* * *

 **23rd December 1990**

As the Prewett twins settled into Fred and George's room with Ginny, the younger girl nervously fidgeted with her hair. Hermione's handbag, which held all of the books and notes, lay next to her as she sat on Fred's bed. Ethel was levitating their clothes from their individual trunks into separate drawers, while Adele was conjuring up a bed for Ginny in the middle of the room. By the time the twins were finally done with their tasks and settling onto George's bed, Ginny was nearly bouncing on Fred's bed. She had started tapping her fingers against her right thigh, and even almost started chewing her hair.

Before Ginny could start telling them her secret, though, Ron had barged into the room and announced that dinner was ready. Although the twins tried to stall eating so that Ginny could finally blow the gaff (after yelling at their daft cousin for not knocking before entering a lady's room), their stomachs betrayed them by giving audible growls. They blushingly gave up and followed Ron and Ginny to the kitchen. The fact that Ginny was devoutly attached to the purple handbag did not escape either Adele or Ethel's notice, but when Ginny caught them staring at what was in her left hand, she shook her head and mouthed, "Later."

After filling their stomachs, taking turns showering and taking care of other hygienic matters, and making sure that Ron, Molly and Arthur were asleep, the Prewetts and Ginny got themselves comfortable in Fred and George's room. With all three girls wearing dressing gowns over their nightdresses, Adele and Ethel cast _Colloportus_ and _Imperturbatus_ on the door and window and waited patiently for Ginny to speak.

Knowing that she could no longer delay what she had to say—and knowing that she had only two weeks to tell them and let them read the first few books—Ginny sighed heavily and began to finally divulge the truth.

* * *

 **Original Author's Notes (11/4/2015):**

1\. Adele and Ethel Prewett, as well as their familial relationship with the Weasleys and Longbottoms, are my own creations. Everything else that is related to Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and her alone.

2\. I wonder if any of you will be able to find the Chrono Trigger reference. I picked a well-known something from that game and put it into this story, so I hope it can be picked out easily.

3\. I know that there is no known incantation for the Imperturbable Charm, so I just used what I was able to find on HP Lexicon: the Latin word **imperturbatus** , which means "undisturbed, unruffled, calm."

4\. The amount of time that it took Ginny to read all seven books is the same amount of time it took me to read all of them in one go. The very last time I did that was in 2011, before my parents gave the books away to the local library. It took me:

\- two days to read Philosopher's Stone; (I'm an American, but I prefer to use the book's original title)

\- two days to read Chamber of Secrets;

\- three days to read Prisoner of Azkaban;

\- a week to read Goblet of Fire;

\- a week to read Order of the Phoenix;

\- a week to read Half-Blood Prince;

\- and a week to read Deathly Hallows.

5\. You may be wondering why Ginny's only thinking of Fred and then Harry, and a little bit of George, Neville and Luna, but not Ron, Hermione, or any of the other important people in her life. The whole point of that first part of the chapter was so that Ginny could resolve her former feelings for the Boy Who Lived, and then her new feelings for Harry himself, before she came to a definitive solution about what to do when it came to him. Only after that does she switch to thinking about Fred and George. Only by thinking about her family, and in particular thinking of Fred and George being separated forever, does she steel her resolve to change the future, as Rose had asked her. Family is arguably the most important thing when it comes to the Weasleys, so it should not be any different when the one thing that makes Ginny want to change the future is her family, not Harry and whatever feelings she has or had for him. Hopefully I made that clear.

6\. A big shout-out goes to the Harry Potter books, HP Wikia, and HP Lexicon for all of the information that I needed to describe certain things.

7\. To all of those who have read this chapter: thank you, thank you, and thank you! I appreciate any reviews, either praise or criticism (as long as the criticism is not too harsh)!

 **New Author's Notes (8/11/2016):**

1\. Like the previous chapter, this chapter was not beta-ed.

2\. Since I finally got around to posting this, on Ginny's birthday, here's a happy birthday to one of the most prominent secondary characters, Ginevra Molly Weasley Potter, who is now 35 years of age in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

3\. Continuing on that, here's a happy birthday to real-life people: Hulk Hogan, Sunil Shetty, Embeth Davidtz, Viola Davis, Anna Gunn, Sophie Okonedo, Ashley Jensen, Will Friedle, Ben Gibbard, and Chris Hemsworth. (These are the only people I'm remotely aware of in terms of their various works, so that's why I didn't add any more names.)

4\. And, continuing on that, let's give a moment of silence to all of the people we've lost on August 11th: Andrew Carnegie, Mary Sumner, Edith Wharton, Jackson Pollock, Anne Ramsey, Peter Cushing, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and Robin Williams. (Again, these are the only people I'm remotely aware of in terms of their various works, so that's why I didn't add any more names.)

5\. This is where this AU story ends. I sincerely apologize for ending this chapter on a cliff-hanger, but I lost the drive to continue with this chapter, let alone this story, back in December 2015. Even if I wanted to continue this story, or let someone else continue on with it, I can't. I deleted all of my notes and my incomplete outline for this story in June 2016, and I honestly can't remember what I meant to happen in this chapter, or in the future chapters. I do remember that I stopped my incomplete outline at the end of Year 2, in large part because I didn't know what I wanted to happen in Years 3 or 4. I knew that I wanted the main story to end at Year 4, with an epilogue that covered the rest of the years at Hogwarts, but I didn't get that far in terms of the plot. The only reason I decided to finally post this incomplete story onto this site is because I like writing as a hobby, and I really want you, as the viewers, to review it and give me encouragement (or non-harsh criticism, since this was my very first fanfic) and let me know if I really should continue to write as a hobby, or just give it up entirely. Especially since I'm definitely planning to continue writing my Digimon AU story. Again, please leave a review for this story, and please let me know if I'm good enough to continue writing as a hobby, or if I should just give it up cold-turkey. I really don't want to, because of my Digimon AU story, but I'm letting the majority vote.


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